Children of Megatron
by LGTracy
Summary: Bayverse - Post DotM What else did S7 and their scientists learn from Megatron? Follow the struggles of someone who knows all to well, and has the scars to prove it. Rated T for some stronger language.
1. Prologue

_**Disclaimer:**__ Transformers are the property of Hasbro and anyone they sold them to. Historical references are based on "Official Prequel" novels written by Alex Irvine.__ Burger King's © Italian Chicken Sandwich and PepsiCo's © Pepsi Throwback also appear throughout because of the appearances of products/signage used in the movies.__ All original __characters appearing in this story, as well as the plot itself, are the intellectual property of the author. Unauthorized use without the permission and/or acknowledgement of the author is expressly forbidden, (i.e. if you want to use them, ask first and __give credit where due.) No infringement is implied or intended. No financial gain has been received._

**A/N:**_ "__VVVVVBREAKVVVVV__ indicates change in POV. __This is written visually because it is how it appears in my __head as if it was the next story in the Transformers Movieverse. If Hasbro/Dreamworks happen to notice it . . . well, let's talk! Anyway, hope you enjoy it, and please note this is going to take a while because the main OC keeps growing up and getting her__self in all sorts of trouble when I'm not writing this story. Tracy _

Children of Megatron

by

Tracy N. Lutz

Prologue:

2004

The surface of the sample seemed to be alive with electromagnetic activity. Similar, he would say, to the electric currents present in the brain.

The knob clicked the microscope to an even greater magnitude. After scanning the surface for any unusual activity, Dr. Alistair Carlisle happened on something he never expected to see in a technological sample; the units, cellular in design, appeared to be destroying an apparently damaged unit, and replacing it with four smaller units.

This was extraordinary! If this could be replicated, it would be the end of cancer, or could revolutionize amputations and paralysis. Maybe this could help him walk again.

The sounds of the phone ringing in the front of the lab and the soft murmurs of his assistant faded to white noise. Likewise, he ignored the sounds of the servos grinding as the other technicians built, tested, rebuilt and re-tested their various artificial body parts.

This was amazing! He had to get this latest discovery recorded. The voice activated recorder clicked on with his first words.

"Findings indicate that these chips harvested from NBE1, although decidedly technological in origin, appear to have remarkable regenerative tendencies. Further analysis is needed to determine if these tendencies can be translated into biological cells, or combined with damaged cells to replace or repair them.

"Next step in this research will be to introduce living biological cells into the environment with these harvested technological units to determine how they will interact."

"Dr. Carlisle!" his assistant finally interrupted.

"What is it Alicia?" he asked, quite annoyed.

The look on her face was one of utter shock and woe. If he wasn't so interested in the activity happening under his microscope, he might have noticed she was fighting tears.

"It's your sister and niece.

"There's been an accident. You need to get to the hospital to act as next of kin."

That brought him up short, next of kin? They would only need him for that if Mary was unable to. This had to be really bad.

For the first time since he was assigned to this project, he lost his focus on work.

He backed his wheelchair out from under the desk he was working at and maneuvered it around to face Alicia. "Call my car," he said. "Please make sure to log my last observations for me. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Yes sir, and Dr. Carlisle?"

He stopped his chair on his way to the door. He didn't bother to turn around.

"I'll pray for your sister and niece."

Alistair Carlisle didn't respond. He maneuvered the joystick to continue his progress toward the garage, and his only remaining family. God seemed disinterested in him or his family from his point of view.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

He was trapped. There was something painfully hot dripping onto his face plate and slowly leaking into his left audial and optic. He couldn't see or hear out of them and he couldn't move to get out from under the drip.

His right optic was blurry and he heard a strange sound that reminded him of the wails of newly spawned hatchlings. Desperately, he tried to move and screamed out when his struggles were met with pain. His legs were pinned somehow, crushed, and so was his left arm. He could move the hand and elbow, but it was securely caught by the upper arm.

Finally, he saw the blurry shape of a head before him. The rescuer was making soothing sounds in a language he never heard before. The limbs attached to the head moved to put something soft and malleable around his shoulder and over the damaged side of his face. He felt a piercing sensation in his upper arm that soon began to numb it. Suddenly, he heard a sound he came to identify as Ratchet's saw, and then felt the searing pain as it was applied to his upper arm above where it was pinned.

He screamed out in his own pain and heard the strange wailing sound match it.

Jerking upright, the image went black and the pain disappeared. He looked around in confusion and saw the worried faces of Optimus, Jazz and Ratchet looking down at him. He was lying on the floor of the recreation area; several others paused in their activities to look at him in concern.

"Is he alright Ratchet?" Optimus asked worriedly.

"I don't know," he answered in confusion. "These readings are odd; his central processors are showing damage to both legs and left arm, optic and audial, but direct scans of them indicate full functionality.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was caught in a total cybernetic lock with someone who was experiencing those injuries."

"How is that possible?" Jazz asked in confusion. "As far as I know, he isn't a twin nor is he unified, unless he has been holding out on us.

"So, did you go out and get unified before you left the planet and not tell anyone Bumblebee?"

Bumblebee looked down at his legs and ran a diagnostic. They were completely functional, so he tried to move them. When they responded to his commands, he felt relieved and searched for his left arm. It, his optic and audial all appeared to be fine, so he climbed to his feet. He swayed dangerously until Ratchet and Optimus caught him and held him steady.

"No," he was finally able to answer Jazz. "No twin or unified."

"Did you have an offspring before you left?" Ratchet asked

"No . . ." he started to answer before his vocal processor went out again.

"This is just too bizarre, let's get him to the med bay so I can run more diagnostics," Ratchet ordered.

Slowly, they helped the wobbly mech through the hatch and into the corridor. Without understanding why, he broke free and grabbed at the ledge of the window to look at the stars. Inextricably, his gaze was pulled toward a specific arm of an unfamiliar spiral galaxy.

I will find you, he swore from his spark. Primus help me, I will find you and you will never know that kind of pain again.


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One:

2007

Metal was raining down from the rooftops, all around the alley where the small waif hid. The falling sparks made eerie shadows on the walls, making the graffiti come alive in a grotesque dance. The larger body of the 'bot protecting the child from the falling debris did not move from his position, no matter how heavy the load became.

With a loud clang, a metallic body fell onto the street to the child's right . . . more appropriately, a half of a metallic body. It was the upper half. Perhaps it was still functional? Or, at the very least, maybe it was salvageable.

She hoped so. As quickly as she could, the child ran to the massive being, ducking between Jukes' body and arm. Zigging and zagging around the falling shrapnel, she cautiously approached from her hiding place between two stinking dumpsters, her metal friend following on two legs.

Pausing just long enough to burrow further into the gray hoody and ensure her hair fell across the damaged side of her face, she entered the fallen 'bot's sensor range.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

He was dying. He could feel his Spark begin to stutter within him. He had literally been torn in two by the vile Deceptacon. It wouldn't be long before his vital fluids would be drained and he would be nothing more than scrap for his fellow Autobots. Perhaps he could provide the replacement that would finally, decisively, win this long and unnecessary war. He knew that O.P. would mourn. Jazz didn't know of any other leader with a heart as big as his old friend's.

His optical sensors where beginning to fail, but his audio sensors where still just as acute as they ever were. That's how he knew he wasn't alone. The faintest scraping of rubber against the pavement alerted him to the presence of the human. Jazz didn't move. He was sorry the biologic would have to witness his death. But then again, this civilization did not yet have sentient robotic life forms, other than his kind, and they were just visiting.

This person would probably just try to make their way around him, thinking him nothing more than an inanimate mound of scrap. Maybe that was for the best. Witnessing the death of anyone or anything was tough enough. If they didn't know he was alive, perhaps they would not be haunted as he was.

He heard the human stop just behind his head, then the sound of cloth being adjusted as they took a deep breath. They walked around as if to look him in the face.

How could that be? Maybe they were just trying to identify him. Determine if he was going to blow up or something. But no, this person stopped in front of his sensors.

The little input he received from his optics would seem to indicate this person was a female child, a rather small child at that; perhaps no more than seven or eight Earth years. He could not get a clear visual on the features of her face. He didn't know if it was from his failing sensors, or the oversized, hooded sweatshirt she was wearing over her face. A curtain of dark colored hair moved as she stopped and seemed to assess him. He noted she held her left arm a bit awkwardly, the smallest digit spasmodically jumping as if she had nerve damage.

"Primus, save her from watching me die," he silently prayed. Funny, he hadn't prayed in so long, and here he was praying for the sanity of a human girl.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Ellie stopped in front of the face of the being. She knew he was sentient, and also knew that most would not believe her if she told them how. It was irrelevant. She was able to access the parts of the other's memories contained on the chip at will. So, she did that now as she assessed the fallen being's condition. A quick look at Jukes stopped him from approaching further.

"You are dying," she said.

Jazz was certain the surprise was evident on his face. This girl was addressing him as if she knew he was alive. Most humans did not, or would not, believe it possible that a non-biological life form could contain a consciousness. Perhaps she was still childish enough to believe in magic.

"Yes," Jazz answered.

"I can help, if you'll let me."

"Too late.

"Run. Not . . . safe," he tried to warn her.

"Dude, I ain't been safe in a long time," she said in all seriousness.

The sound of the round coming in was unmistakable. With little thought, he summoned his strength and grabbed the girl. Tucking her into his chest, he rolled over until he was sheltering her from the energy blast, using the wall of the building to further protect her. The energy round hit the building next to the one he was against, blowing pieces of concrete and bricks all around them.

When the last of the heavy debris landed, he released her.

"Go. Run," he tried to warn her again.

Ellie looked into the alley to make sure Jukes was alright. He gave her a thumb's up. "Not without you," she told the 'bot.

"Can't. Save . . . self."

"I can save you too, if you'll let me. An' I really don't want to take the choice from you. So choose. Live or die."

It took him mere seconds to run the calculations in his mind. If he allowed her to help him, he might be able to continue to fight the Deceptacons. Just one variable was missing.

"How?" he asked.

"I can remove the essence matrix from your body before the cascade failures have the chance to destabilize it beyond saving. It will mean that you will be without a body for a while, until I can build you a new one. But, at least you'll still be alive."

Wait a minute. How did she know about an essence matrix? And cascade failures? She was talking as if she knew about Cybertronian technology. If she did know something about his tech, maybe she could help.

The other thing she mentioned, a new body? Did the humans have the technology to create their own transformers? He didn't find data to support the probability. So, he wouldn't be able to transform. But, he could still think for himself, and thereby aid his friends in some way. Praying again that this child might actually know how to repair him, or at least get him to someone who could, he made his decision.

"Do it," he said as his optics finally failed. Jazz only hoped that she was in time.

Ellie quickly took the glove off her left hand; the metal of the fingers glinting from the light of his spark. Accessing the memories from the chip, she concentrated on moving her hand in the precise sequence. The essence matrix retracted its connections from the body, and fell easily into her biological hand. The spark of light in the center, which had been flickering, regained a steady glow.

The whole thing was between the size of a softball and a small cantaloupe. Thankful again that she was able to find such an oversized shirt, she put her new prized possession in the pocket and climbed over the remains of the mighty metallic warrior.

As she landed, she heard the approach of metallic feet. She wasn't about to stick around and find out who they were.

"Jukes! Let's get out of here!" She cried as she ran back into the alley. Mounting Jukes' minibike form, they ran into the street, Ellie was able to follow the crowd as they raced away from the battle. Turning into an alley when the rest of the crowd remained on the main street, she cut across to the parallel street. She stopped short when she saw the teen run into the front of a Cadillac Escalade. She felt, more than saw the jolt of living energy wave out of the cube he held in his hands. Within a matter of moments, the teen ran on without realizing he left three new lives behind him.

Taking in the scene, she saw a man in a hat holding what started its existence as a microwave, its new arms flailing blindly through the box. There was also a soda machine using its product as ammunition to fire against everyone it saw. Hearing screams coming from the street, Ellie saw a group of teen girls jumping from the now alive Escalade. The girls abandoning him, the Escalade transformed into a robotic form, armaments sprouting from his shoulders, arms and torso.

"This is going to be really bad," Ellie said to her companion.

"Then let's leave while we can," suggested Jukes. He already knew they would be staying to try and help.

The new robot swung around to acquire a target, fortunately, everyone in the area had run off, the man with the microwave-bot dropping it and joining them.

Ellie dismounted and stepped out into the field of view of the soda machine and the car, raising her hand in a show of surrender. Jukes reassumed his 'bot form and armed with throwing knives as he assumed a protective posture.

"Hey guys!" she called to them.

Immediately, they leveled their weapons at the two. The new 'bots didn't fire. Cautiously, so as not to startle them, she squatted down and helped the microwave remove the box he was in. As the box fell off him, he jumped free and immediately started to track potential targets. When he saw the girl, he paused and assessed her. He remembered she helped him get out of the box. He disarmed.

Chattering among themselves, they appeared to come to a collective agreement. They chattered at Ellie.

"I don't understand that language. Speak English?" she asked them.

They chattered at each other again. The Escalade was the first to speak to Ellie.

"You help little one. You no scare?"

"Yes, I'm a little scared. You guys have weapons, I don't. That's hardly fair, now isn't it?" she asked them.

The three chattered at each other again. The microwave deciding he liked Ellie, walked over to her on crablike legs and hugged her around the calf, making a cooing sound as he did.

The girl smiled down at her new friend. Hearing the sound of mechanical components being ratcheted into position, she looked up to see the other two disarming. Jukes gave them each one last look, and then disarmed as well.

"No more weapons. You still scared?" asked the Escalade. His English was getting more correct as he spoke to her.

"Yes, a little."

"Of us?" the car asked, incredulous.

"Not so much. I'm trying to run away from a bad man who wants to hurt me. Can you guys help me?"

The trio chattered at each other. Immediately, the microwave-bot jumped away from Ellie and armed, looking for the man who wanted to hurt her.

"We help. Keep you safe," the soda machine said.

"What do you need us to do?" asked the Escalade.

"Can you turn back into a car?" asked Ellie.

Thinking about it for a minute, the robot reassumed his form as a Cadillac Escalade. Opening his doors to the group, he revved his engine.

Ellie reached down and picked up the little robot. "Maybe you should get into the back where you'll have more room," she told the soda machine as she climbed in to the front passenger seat. Jukes got in the back seat directly behind her. Snapping her seatbelt into place, the Escalade closed his doors and began to drive out of town toward the interstate.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"Head toward Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania," she said.

Shortly out of town, they found the remains of another 'bot, its human like form still twitching as it died.

"Stop!" Ellie cried. She jumped out of the front seat and ran to the being. She looked into his torso and saw the essence matrix light was still sparking, the living energy reluctantly leaving his body.

Making the decision for him, she reached into his chest and removed his essence matrix as well, the sound of sirens cutting off her chance to retrieve any more from him.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Barricade was incensed at the message he received from Soundwave; extraction impossible? Implement Omega protocol?

No way in Hell, as the humans would say, would he self-destruct. He would bide his time and wait for either a Deceptacon or a human insect to come along and put him back on his wheels. Then, he would pick his time carefully and make Soundwave pay.

He knew what this was about; Soundwave was jealous. Barricade was second in line behind Megatron, so if he was gone, Soundwave would get his place. Let him have it, for the moment. He would survive and disappear, and quietly gather the ever growing factions of dissolutioned Deceptacons under his leadership.

Even Megatron didn't realize how out of touch he was becoming. The ideals of the 'bots he would lead were changing, they were starting to embrace an ideology that was somewhere between the Autobots' naïve absolute self-determination belief, and Megatron's self-delusional grandiose belief in peace through tyranny.

The sound of tires approaching interrupted his self-contained rant. A quick scan of the approaching beings baffled him; he was picking up four distinct Energon life forms that he didn't recognize, and a definite human profile . . . with a cybernetic signature? How was this possible? Three of the Energon beings carried a Deceptacon designation, and he knew every Deceptacon that made the trip to this planet. Was it possible these were recent hatchlings?

It seemed unlikely; there wasn't enough Energon around here to nourish a microcon. Unless, and this was a very real possibility, the humans had used the Allspark to create their own robotic life forms. If that was the case, it was highly probable the humans didn't know what they had done.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Ellie had the Escalade, whom she christened, "Clyde," pull over when she saw the cop car on its roof over an embankment. It was hidden from public view by a building and a row of overgrown hedges along the street. If they had not made the detour through the construction zone, she doubted they would have seen it as well.

"Hey guys. That's a 'bot down there," she said. Accepting the energy signature her optic picked up as true.

"He in trouble," the soda machine, now named, "Soto," agreed.

"Shall we help?" asked Clyde.

"We need all the friends we can make. I say we help," Ellie decided.

The microwave 'bot, Mike, chattered.

"He no like stopping," Soto translated.

"A 'bot after my own spark," muttered Jukes.

"Ordinarily, I would agree. However, we can't afford to leave him here where the government will turn him into an experiment."

The group climbed out of the Escalade and started down the embankment, the car reassuming his 'bot form and following.

Jukes headed the group off. "We can't afford to stop, Ellie. Have you forgotten it's only a matter of time before he sends someone after you?"

"I have to help him. I can't let them get him.

"Besides, maybe he can help us stay hidden."

"This is a really bad idea," Jukes counseled as he turned around and led the way down the hill. He armed with a spiked club and a throwing knife.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"I would ask if you're alright, but you probably wouldn't be here if you were," Ellie said by way of greeting as she neared the police car.

"So, instead, how about if I ask you this; can you still roll if you're on your wheels?"

"Yes, I can still function in my alt form.

"Put me back on my wheels and I'll show you how well, you human insect!" Barricade bellowed.

How dare she address him as an equal? He was a warrior; a great leader of the Deceptacons. He was the one, if the truth were to ever be known, who gave Megatron the idea to change Cybertronian society.

The sound of the three other 'bots arming themselves stopped his train of thought. What were they doing? His sensors pinging at him as targeting locks engaged him as their enemy.

The smallest 'bot scolding him in his chattering language, "You're rude!" he said.

"We stop to help you out of a most delicate situation, and you repay our kindness with names and threats."

"Easy guys," the girl said. "Put the weapons away. You too Jukes."

After a few brief moments, the 'bots complied, the smallest 'bot chattering a foul opinion of the idea.

"Clyde?" the girl asked the largest 'bot. "Can you lift me to see his underside please?"

Clyde complied.

"Oh!" she exclaimed.

"You were really messed up in your 'bot form, weren't you?"

"Why would you say that?" Barricade asked.

"Because these damages aren't consistent with any damages you could have gotten while in your car form.

"My guess is that you were injured when you were a 'bot, then transformed into your car form and got stuck."

Barricade was begrudgingly impressed with her assessment. He did not feel the need to answer her statement, and when she continued, knew that he was correct in his judgment.

"So, here's the deal; we'll get you back on your wheels if you are willing to come with us for a while. Then, when we find a safe place to hide for any length of time, I'll repair you and you can go about your business.

"Does that sound fair?"

"Agreed! Now please get me out of this undignified position."

"Clyde, Soto, Jukes. Please put him back on his wheels."

The three made little work of putting him upright. They were not overly gentle about it either.

Once the group made its way onto the street, they got on their way towards Pittsburgh.


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two:

Present Day

Bumblebee was injured. There was a massive reduction in the hydraulic pressure of his right leg. He continued to fire at the Deceptacon as he went down, crushing the minicon who severed the line under his weight as he landed. Still, its partner attacked, now that Bee was on his level, it went after the lower power conduit in his abdomen, undoubtedly trying to cause a short that would kill him.

With barely more than a flick of his wrist, he pinched the head of the annoyance and destroyed it with a shower of hydraulic fluid. Unfortunately, it had managed to damage the servo controlling panel in his other leg. In disgust, he threw its now dead body against the wall of the abandoned factory across the coal pit.

The battle had moved to the other side of the factory, so he started to crawl toward it. It would probably be done by the time he got there, but at least Ratchet wouldn't have to look for him. He had made about fifty yards when he caught a glimpse of movement between the coal piles to his right. Levering himself up onto his left arm, he brought his ion cannon to bear and tracked the movement of the figure.

He didn't shoot when he identified the target as a small human. Cautiously, it looked around to make sure there were no other threats nearby, and then it quickly ran to him.

"I'm here to help," she said through the helmet she wore. She swung a backpack around in front of her and set it on the ground between them.

Bumblebee scanned what he could of the contents, and determined there was nothing in it that was of immediate threat to him. This must be the girl who had been aiding them recently. The thought was confirmed when, without even pausing a second, she was examining his abdominal wound and reaching in to turn off the power to the damaged panel.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Ellie pulled a small pry bar out from her hoody pocket and popped the cover off. Inside, the damage wasn't that bad, it just required some liquid metal to reconnect the severed circuits. With her bad hand, she focused on holding the panel cover with the slice through it as she turned the power back on to the panel. The current arced around the repair as it set the metal in place, then disappeared. Satisfied, she glanced at his injured leg and noticed that the hydraulic fluid was already stopped.

"That will hold you till your medic can properly tend to it." She handed him the cover. "I'm leaving it open so he doesn't have to fiddle with removing the cover. It shouldn't be a major issue.

"As to your leg, it just needs a new hydraulic line and probably should replace the cables. I'm afraid that I don't have the proper equipment with me to do that."

The sound of the others returning was unmistakable. Quickly, she grabbed her bag and started back in the direction from which she approached.

"Wait!" Bumblebee said. "Who are you?" he asked through the multitude of recordings he was able to harvest from the planet's various media.

"A friend," she said as she ran into the coal piles.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Sideswipe was the first to see the human with a neon blue motorcycle helmet run into the piles of coal. Hearing the exchange between Bumblebee and the human, he took a moment to check on his friend.

"Fine!" Bumblebee confirmed. "Go get him killer," he quoted.

That was all he needed to know. Sideswipe alt formed and roared off into the coal piles after the human. The sound of the minibike motor was easy to follow. Unbelievably, she was roaring off toward the fence at the far end of the coal pit. Radioing back to the others, he accelerated and was almost on her when he resumed his 'bot form. In a move that completely took him by surprise, the girl made a one-eighty, practically laying her bike down to do so and roared right back through his legs. Unprepared, Sideswipe did a front flip to disguise the fact he tripped and alt formed again to continue the chase.

"This little bitch is going down!" he vowed to himself. No one made a fool of him and got away with it.

He found her about thirty yards behind him, roaring through a broken gate that led to the parking lot. Changing to his 'bot form, he easily jumped over the fence and was back into his alt form before he landed. He chased her through the parking lot toward the abandoned railroad tracks that ran along the side. Gaining with every passing second, he was almost on her again when she jumped onto the tracks and began to follow them away from the lot. Not to be lost so easily, he 'bot formed and began to chase her. He had to admit that she had unusual skill to be able to keep the chase going for this long, until he realized the minibike had an Energon signature and was riding the rails without the proper wheels.

Unfortunately, he was no longer gaining on them in this form. Since there were no roads that ran parallel to the tracks, he could not assume his alt form and reduce the distance again. Just as they began to out distance him, they jumped off the track and rode down the hill toward an alley perpendicular and right into an old industrial complex.

"I've got your punk ass now," Sideswipe thought. He radioed his coordinates to Optimus and the others as he jumped onto the alley and alt formed.

Even though he lost sight of them, he could still hear the unmistakable motor. It was easy enough to follow, and he was really mad now. This was ending right now. He raced as fast as he could toward the sound and was just in time to see her neon blue helmet disappearing behind a pile of cinder blocks. He roared headlong straight at them and transformed at the last possible second to jump over it. Before he resumed his alt form, he caught sight of her entering an abandoned warehouse.

"Wait, did I see her actually look back for me? Well, I'm right on your ass, sweetheart," he thought.

He radioed to the others for the last time, ignoring Optimus Prime's order to wait for backup. There was no way he was letting this human bitch get away from him this time.

The sound of the motor revving echoed inside of the building and then it got quiet. Sideswipe approached with caution. He transformed and put his audial receptors close to the building. He could barely hear the sound of the motor idling inside.

"So," he thought. "It's soundproofed in some way."

He reached out with his hand and swung the door wide as he jumped inside and assumed a defensive stance. Almost immediately, he realized he wasn't receiving any communiqué's from the others. It had some sort of a dampening measure surrounding it as well. What the hell was going on here?

Scanning the interior, he found a cot with a sleeping bag on it under the stairs to the right, a wooden crate with a laptop on it at its head and a table in the center with several machines on it he had never seen before. Toward the middle of the room, there were several vinyl sheets hung on old, abandoned laundry buggies so they could move independently. It reminded him of an old fashioned portable clean room measure.

It appeared that several car batteries had been modified in some way to provide power for the laptop and create an electromagnetic field around the place to hide the space from most scans. In the same instant he assessed the room; he found the target of his pursuit sitting on her transformer friend at an open door to the left. The sign beside it said, "Stairs to Boiler Room."

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Ellie turned her head to make sure the transformer saw her enter the warehouse. She rode through the door and didn't bother to make sure it was closed; she wouldn't be back here again. Jukes drove her to the door of the escape route and revved his motor a couple more times to make sure the 'bot knew where to find them. They idled and waited. It didn't take long before the 'bot swung open the door and jumped inside like he was some sort of ninja or something.

"Good," she thought. "I made him mad enough to not follow standard procedure."

Ellie knew the instant he found where she was sitting. Only one thing left to do for this phase, and then it was on to the next.

"It's about time you guys found me," she said. "You took eighteen hours longer than I was hoping you would."

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I must have misplaced the directions," he said in a most sarcastic manner.

"I'm sorry. I had to make sure you were mad enough to follow me. It was nothing personal.

"I don't have much time, so listen closely; the guys will tell you all you need to know about me," she said as she motioned her chin toward the table with the holo preservers on it. "The spidrobots will show you around the base, and the only suggestion I can give you is to please make sure you fully analyze my technology before you let the government get their hands on it.

"One last thing," she said as Jukes began to let the clutch out and drift forward. "No doctors around me."

With that, they were through the door and down into the basement, weaving through the labyrinth toward the passage to the storm sewer. She ignored his shouts to stop in a most colorful language.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Sideswipe was still shouting profanities down the stairwell when backup arrived.

Optimus Prime arrived at the coordinates with his engines roaring, releasing his trailer as he 'bot formed and armed himself with his battle axe and ion blaster. Jolt and Mirage followed suit as they took up positions on either side of their leader. Hot Rod paused just long enough to let Wheelie out before he also 'bot formed and armed.

"Hey! What's the big deal?" asked Wheelie as he pushed himself up onto his feet. He didn't appreciate being thrown across the parking lot like a bowling ball.

"Shh!" admonished Jolt.

"Easy for you to say! You didn't just go rolling across the freakin' parking lot."

"Quiet!" Mirage and Hot Rod said in unison.

"Who's gonna hear me over Sideswipe?"

"I hear you," answered Optimus.

"Sideswipe!" Optimus ordered. "Report."

Sideswipe stopped yelling and smacked the frame of the door. "I lost her, dammit!"

"Lost who?" asked Optimus as he cautiously entered the building. He noticed he had to stoop to enter through the door, but had no problem standing to his full height once inside. He realized he could probably have comfortably rolled through the entrance in his alt form.

"That bitch who led me here!" Sideswipe said. He was getting upset again.

"Calm down.

"Who led you here?" asked Optimus Prime.

"The female who has been helping patch up the wounded in our battles the last three weeks."

"You saw her?" asked Wheelie. "Is she as hot as I imagined she'd be?"

"Wheelie," Optimus admonished.

"What? I'm just sayin' she must be hot to run into battle to administer first aid is all."

"I'm thinking more along the lines of stupid," Mirage added. A look from his leader silenced him.

"Did you get the chance to recon the place before you came running in here after her?" Optimus asked Sideswipe.

"It has some sort of dampening field around it. I did a quick optic/thermal scan and didn't find anything menacing," he sounded belligerent, even to his own audials.

"Sorry," he conceded.

"Autobots, recon.

"Wheelie, set up a remote communications link on the pile of blocks out there, Mirage, Hot Rod, external sweep, the rest of us, inside. Watch yourselves."

The team fanned out according to the orders of Optimus Prime. They assumed the easy efficiency of a battle hardened group long used to fighting and scouting together.

"I'm getting Energon readings, Optimus," informed Jolt.

"Levels?"

"Either very small 'bots or traces of some sort."

"Investigate."

As Jolt went about locating the source of the Energon readings, Sideswipe started looking into the human sized doors on the left side of the building where he lost the girl. Optimus spared a quick scan of the table in the middle of the front part of the space, noted the odd machines and manila folders neatly stacked in a pile in one corner, and cautiously approached the makeshift vinyl dividers.

"I should probably report that the girl talked to me," stated Sideswipe.

"Yes, you should.

"What did she say?"

Sideswipe replayed the audio recording of the girl's conversation with him.

"Her pitch would indicate that she is rather young. Why would she ever be in a place like this?" wondered Optimus out loud.

"Run away?" guessed Jolt.

Optimus reached the divided section of the space and easily towered over the vinyl sheets. What he saw surprised as well as horrified him.


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three:

"Prima, no!" Optimus exclaimed. This couldn't be what it appeared, not if all of the reports he had about the girl were to be believed.

Before him, about a one third section of the factory warehouse space was separated. It appeared to be a makeshift clean room; mechanical hand tools neatly placed along shelves placed against the walls. On a makeshift table, there was some poor 'bot's spark inside of some machine with cables running to it, and lying on a floor covered by more white sheets, was a half destroyed 'bot body.

"Wheelie! Notify Ratchet we need him. We have a casualty."

Sideswipe came running .

"What?" called Jolt.

"I knew that little bitch was evil," stated Sideswipe.

"We can't do anything more for this poor 'bot now. Let's continue with our recon," Optimus decided.

With one more look at the horrific scene inside of the clean room, Optimus walked along the outside of the sheets and quickly investigated the rest of the space. It was empty beyond that point save for regular trash and enough scrap metal to make at least one more 'bot about his own size. On the way back on the opposite side of the ghastly section, he found a small space tucked under the end of a catwalk that looked to be growing crystals.

He picked up a small plastic jar with a red lid on it. He read the word "Alum." He carefully placed it back in its spot. There were four more jars of various sizes along the crystal farm with different names on them. He extrapolated that the jars were in their particular positions to indicate the type of crystals the girl was growing. Some of them, he knew, were used in the creation of microchips and other technology. All of them were used to make various materials needed in the building of advanced technology, especially Cybertronian technology.

This confused him. All reports he received about the girl would indicate that she was trying to help. The crystal farm would also support that theory. If that was the case, then why would she destroy one of them? Unless . . .

He looked again over the sheets. The body was closer to him from this angle. He looked a little more closely at the part of the body that was exposed by the coverings. His optics picked up the outline of twin depressions in the sheets closest to him, as if the girl was resting her arms there for a long time as she reached into the hole in the 'bot's chest.

Could it be? Was she really trying to create a body for whomever the spark belonged too? It was the only thing that made sense to him.

"Boss! Ratchet and the rest of his team's here," Wheelie called in from outside.

Optimus disarmed and walked back to the front of the building. One by one, the rest of his team came back with all clear's, except for Jolt who had three small 'bots cornered near the laptop. He saw one was cowering under the pillow, its thin legs shaking, one was peaking at them curiously from over the laptop's screen and the last one was out in the open, his two front legs crossed and tapping one of his rear legs. His very posture was quite along the lines of, "Well? You going to keep staring at us or can we actually do something?" Optimus decided he liked the little thing's spunk.

"Are you the spidrobots?" Optimus asked of the apparent leader.

The little 'bot nodded then pointedly looked at Jolt's weapon.

"Jolt, stand down."

"You sure about that Prime?"

"I am. The girl told Sideswipe they were here. If they meant us any harm, they would have done it by now."

"What do you want me to tell these guys to do, boss?" Wheelie called into the building.

"They can come in. I'm curious about their opinions about this place."

"You said there was a casualty here?" Ratchet asked as he entered. He looked around the space with open curiosity as he helped Bumblebee limp into the building.

"We have apparently found the base of operations of the first aid female.

"In the area over there separated by the sheets is some 'bot's spark and a half-finished body."

"What?" Ratchet said as he handed Bumblebee off to Hot Rod and rushed over.

"What happened to you?" Optimus asked his wounded soldier.

"Damn . . . 'Con . . . bit . . . my leg," he pieced together.

"So, what are we going to do about the girl?" asked Sideswipe.

"You said you lost her through the boiler room door?" asked Optimus.

"Yeah. The little bitch and the 'bot she was with escaped down those stairs," he pointed.

"She had a 'bot with her?"

"Yeah. He wasn't anyone I recognized."

"Wheelie! Have Brains take over the communications, I have a mission for you," Optimus said to the little 'bot as he came into the building.

"I get a mission? For real?" Wheelie asked, hopefully.

"Yes. Sideswipe lost the girl through the boiler room. None of us are small enough to fit down through the door except for you. What I need you to do is see if you can pick up her trail. Be careful. She is apparently traveling with another 'bot that we don't know."

"I'm on it, Boss!" he exclaimed.

The whole way across the floor he was muttering about finally getting a real mission and how he was going to do such a great job until he was out of audial range down the stairs.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Ratchet stopped short when he got to the area Optimus indicated. He could easily see over the makeshift curtains. He knew a medi-clinic when he saw one, and this definitely was one. With great care and awe, he parted two of the curtains and went inside. On a makeshift table covered with a white sheet, there sat a piece of machinery he couldn't identify. In its center, the unmistakable glow of a spark. It had cables connecting it to the machine. It glowed steadily, so he assumed the device was some sort of generator, or life saver of some kind.

He didn't notice the sound of small, metallic feet scurrying across the floor until he saw one of the spidrobots pop up on the table. It appeared to be the one from behind the laptop.

"Well, hello there little friend," Ratchet greeted.

The little 'bot waved at him.

"You don't have voice processors, do you?"

The little 'bot shook his head.

"Do you know what this device is surrounding this Spark?"

With that, the little 'bot got behind the plexiglass pane with the top and pushed it closed. He crawled inside and made sure that a silicone sock, fastened between the piece from the top of the Spark that appeared to be damaged and the connection point of the box, properly aligned the pieces. He then, like he was folding the petals of a flower, pushed the remaining sides up and made certain that the adhesive along the top had a tight fit. Satisfied, he crawled down to the base of the machine and hit the power button.

The machine glowed a few minutes, and then a light started to flash out of its top. The spidrobot then dragged a metal square piece over to the machine and made certain of its orientation in relation to the base, and tried to lift it onto the plexiglass cube. Guessing what he was trying to do, Ratchet lifted it into place.

"Like this?" he asked.

The 'bot nodded.

It clicked into place with an almost inaudible snap. Suddenly, the light stopped flashing and took the form of a 'bot. After a few seconds, Ratchet was staring at the holographic image of one of his dearest friends, Ironhide.

The shock of seeing his old friend startled poor Ratchet so much, he backed up and tripped over the buggy serving as the curtain coaster. It crushed beneath his weight.

"Optimus! Turn them on! Turn them on!" he yelled as he tried to climb to his feet and crawl to the makeshift table with the other devices at the same time.

"Turn what on?" Optimus asked.

Not wanting to explain, he lurched to his feet three yards from the table and pushed the button of the first device he came to.

"It's them! They're not dead! It's them!" Ratchet could not contain his excitement as he turned the devices on as quickly as he could.

The devices began to flicker then holographic images solidified one by one above them. First was Arcee, then her sisters, and finally Jazz.

Optimus stared in amazement at his old friend. Surely, this was some sort of trick. This couldn't be Jazz. He was dead, Optimus held his lifeless body in his arms. He knew he was dead. But, no, this was a holographic image of his oldest and dearest friend.

A few seconds later, as he familiarized himself with his surroundings after being turned on, Jazz located Optimus Prime and spoke.

"You still owe me six ingots Optimus," he said.

"No! This can't be. I saw your lifeless body almost six years ago,"

"Gee! I guess time flies when you're dead, doesn't it ladies?" Jazz asked the girls.

"Guess so," agreed Chromia.

"Where's Ellie?" asked Elita One.

"Who is 'Ellie?'" asked Optimus Prime.

"Remember the plan," reminded Arcee.

"She is correct Optimus," Ironhide said from Ratchet's hands as he brought him back from the clean area.

"Ironhide? Is it really you?" asked Optimus Prime.

"It is.

"I'm certain that you have a lot of questions, unfortunately, we don't have a whole lot of time to answer them all.

"The most important questions that I can answer at the moment are this; Ellie is a brilliant human child who saved all of our lives, as well as the lives of several Deceptacons, through her technology. She will share it with you when you meet with her tomorrow."

"We were able to convince her to contact you when it was apparent she was unable to repair Ironhide," Elita One added.

"What's wrong with Ironhide?" asked Sideswipe.

"Don't you mean, 'What's right with Ironhide?''' Jazz quipped.

"When he was 'killed,'" Jazz continued, making quote marks in the air with his fingers. "The way he was injured severed the upper connection interface from his spark. Now, if he's on for too long, he starts to overheat and short out. We usually know it's coming because he starts talking even more weird than normal."

"We'll settle this in the ring when we get back to the lair," Ironhide informed Jazz.

"Anyway," Ironhide continued. "Ellie gave us the coordinates she wants you to meet her at by eighteen hundred, local, tomorrow."

"In all seriousness, though, Optimus," Jazz continued. "I've been trying to get her to contact you for the past several Earth years. Particularly, Ratchet."

"Why me?" asked Ratchet.

"Because she doesn't trust anyone even remotely connected to the government," answered Arcee.

"And," added Jazz, "she's sick."

"In what way?" asked Ratchet. This was intriguing to him that his longtime friends and comrades would think of him above even human medical professionals to care for an ailing human child.

True, he had downloaded everything he could about human anatomy and biology he could get his optics on, but still, he was not that familiar with human medical procedures. He was humbled by the faith his old friends demonstrated in him.

"I don't know what the medical malarkey is to say it, but she keeps getting headaches and loosing vital lubricants from her audial receptors and nose," said Jazz.

"She also keeps breaking her shoulder," added Elita One.

"Don't forget the fact she has cybernetic limbs," reminded Chromia.

"What? Do you mean prostheses?" asked Ratchet.

"No. I mean actual cybernetic limbs with Cybertronian signatures," confirmed Chromia.

"Optimus?" addressed Arcee. "She also bears the mark of Uriel on her left shoulder."


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four:

This was too much. Optimus stood staring at Arcee dumbfounded. His friends and comrades were alive. This Ellie girl gave them to him. He did not know how grateful he could feel toward another being until that moment. Then, to learn that she was also sick, and bore the mark of such a being . . . it was unbelievable.

"Who's that?" asked Jolt.

"According to the archives, Uriel was the god of the Primes." Optimus started slowly. "The few stories about him I found referred to him as the father of the Primes, and also the father of both Prima and Unicron."

"How . . . can . . . a god . . . be the father of . . . both good and evil?" asked Bumblebee.

"I'm not sure. About the only thing known about him was written in the archives. The only other title associated with him was The Originator.

"As to Prima and Unicron; the myths written about them don't go into too much detail about why they started to fight. The written history about why was too conflicting to even hazard a guess."

"Typical," muttered Jolt.

"Yeah, this is all well and dandy," steered Ratchet. "But what about the girl?"

"Right," Jazz answered. "She left something for you that she promised would answer whatever questions she would think you'd have."

Optimus refocused his attention back to the plight of the girl. Ratchet was right. If the girl was ill, they had to do whatever they could to protect her. Especially if she was who he thought she might be.

"Where is it?" asked Hot Rod.

"The computer over there. Bring it and Silks over here."

"Silks?" asked Sideswipe.

"Yeah. She's the colorful spidrobot that is super timid. This is Spinner over here. He's the leader of these guys. Spiral is the green one who helps out in the clinic."

Hot Rod picked up the computer and Silks climbed on top, holding the pillow over her back. He shook his head at the idea that a puny pillow would provide any protection for such a little 'bot.

"We were able to formulate a plan that would get her on your radar and make you curious enough to follow when you found her," informed Arcee.

"Then, about six Earth months ago, she bought this place and put it in the name of my online I.D., and two months ago, she moved us in here and set up shop," continued Jazz.

"What do you mean about an online I.D.?" asked Optimus.

"Well, Ellie is loaded. She is the only orphaned kid of two very wealthy people, and she was able to divert some of the money they left her into several accounts in our 'names'," again, Jazz made the air quotes.

"My online persona is Jay Zack Talbot. She set up a paper trail for me that goes all the way back to the early seventies and set up several accounts that total over three quarters of a billion dollars. She has me as being a higher up in a bogus company called Autotronix. All the financial info for me, the girls, Ironhide and the company are in those files," Jazz pointed at the manila folders.

Mirage picked them up and began to scan them. "Impressive. She certainly knows how to move money. No?" he said as he handed the documents to Optimus Prime.

He looked at them without really understanding what they meant. The whole idea about currency exchange was baffling to him. He handed them off to Bumblebee who seemed to be quite impressed.

As they had been talking, Hot Rod sat the laptop and the spidrobot, Silks, on the table in the center of the machines. Forgetting about how scared she was, Silks dropped her pillow and set about setting up the computer. She plugged in a memory stick into one of the ports and tapped on Jazz's machine to get his attention.

"Oh? Ready already huh beautiful?" Jazz flirted.

Silks shyly picked up a corner of the pillowcase and looked over it at Jazz's holo image.

"Turn it on for me, Babe," he instructed.

Silks sashayed over to the laptop and turned the power on, looking over her shoulders at him in a way that can only be described as coyly. Hearing the beep as the laptop powered up, she forgot her flirtation and jumped to the ready over the keyboard.

The code that came up on the computer filled up the screen and began to stream. Jazz began to instruct her on what buttons to push. She would enter the code and the screen would flash, then another code would fill up the screen and Jazz would direct more buttons be pushed two more times before the encryption was complete.

"What was that?" asked Hot Rod.

"Viral encryption," answered Jazz.

"Sounds painful," spliced Bumblebee.

Silks then connected the computer to the machine in the middle of the table and turned it on. As it fired to life, it became apparent that it was also a holo projector. Returning to the computer, she hit the "play" button on the screen and sat back to watch with the rest of the assembled group.

Above the table, the image of a man in a wheelchair came into view; projected onto three holo screens arranged in a triangle so everyone could see. He began to speak to the camera:

"My name is Dr. Alistair Carlisle. Today is October twenty-first two thousand four. Following is a video documentary of all experiments, procedures and results of a newly designated project, code name; Maimed Angel."

The view changed to show a small girl lying nude beneath a green sheet on a hospital table. Dr. Carlisle's voice continued from behind the camera.

"This is the subject. Name is Urielle Lorena Guardian. Subject is a three year old female experiencing a triple amputation of both lower extremities and the left upper extremity as the result of a car accident. The additional damage to the left orbital and auditory regions was the result of sulfuric acid dripping onto the subject's face before extraction. Subject has been in a medically induced coma for the past seventeen days due to the extreme pain of said injuries.

"The subject is being readied for a surgical procedure to implant computer microchips from donor, designation; NBE 1, reference project; Iceman, into the subject's brain in the motor function control area. Additionally, the subject will be fitted with new, cybernetic extremities also manufactured from alloys harvested from NBE 1, as well as an optic sensor to replace the damaged eye, and an audial implant to replace the ruptured and scarred eardrum and canal, that were also built from harvested NBE 1 technology."

The voice of the doctor continued as the video captured green clad figures in masks shaving the child's head, exposing the horribly disfigured and barely healed limbs that were then marked with black markers . . . and exposing the mark of Uriel on her left shoulder, well below where they would be operating.

The video shut off with a flicker, and then came back into focus obviously in the actual operating room where the medical team surrounded the girl and had her draped in more green cloth. The only flesh exposed was her head, with a tube at her mouth, neck, which had an IV stuck into the artery and the areas that were to be operated on.

"Having been prepared, the subject is now under general anesthesia and the neurosurgeon will now make his incision into the scalp over the designated areas."

The video zoomed in on the neurosurgeon's work and the host continued to drone on as the flesh, then skull itself was cut away to reveal the gray matter of the child's brain. When the camera brought the chips that were about to be inserted into focus, Ratchet could not contain his opinions any longer.

"Oh no! Not that way. Please not like that!" he whispered as the video showed the first chip being inserted.

"Ok. That one's right," he said with the second one.

"That one's upside down!

"How do you put that chip in backward?

"Well that's good. At least she isn't going to need a wheelchair.

"Are you people morons? That one's sideways!

"Good. Good, that one's right."

Ratchet continued to comment on the placement of the chips until all twenty-three were in place. In all, by his estimation, only six were placed properly.

The next part of the video showed the neurosurgeon gluing pieces of metal over the fractures he had cut into her skull. "The metal alloys being adhered to the subject's skull are harvested from NBE 1's interior shielding. Tests have revealed this alloy to be extremely light, as well as self-regenerating at an alarming rate. Given the subject's age, it is believed this alloy will grow with the natural patterns of the skull," the doctor continued to explain.

Next part was the placement of the optic and audial implants. Ratchet's opinion of the optic placement was acceptable; however the placement of the audial implant was another matter.

"By the Allspark! No wonder she keeps getting headaches and needs a shielded place! That blasted chip is inappropriate for a biological implant! I'm surprised she didn't die years ago."

Finally, when the video showed the attachment of the extremities, Ratchet had enough. "Turn that blasted thing off!" he bellowed.

Silks complied.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Optimus Prime looked around at his soldiers. Every one of them was silent and obviously disturbed by what they had just seen. Even the spidrobots had joined their friend under her pillow. And Bumblebee, brave 'bot that he was, was visibly shaken; he was sitting on the floor where he had obviously collapsed and rocking back and forth, watching the video through his fingers.

"I think I would be sick if it was possible," Elita One said.

"If I ate, I think it would have been on the floor by the first cut," Mirage said.

"Would you mind turning me off, Ratchet?" Ironhide asked.

Optimus turned to a still rocking Bumblebee and easily gathered him into his arms. "Perhaps you can repair Bumblebee's leg while we decide what to do with this new information."

Eager for something to do to get the vision of what he had just seen out of his mind, Spiral ran to the edge of the table and jumped onto Ratchet's arm, scuttling up to his shoulder.

"Um, yeah. Bring him over to the clinic area."

"That could've been me," Bumblebee spliced together.

"I know, old friend," Optimus confirmed. There was nothing more he could say.


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five:

Brigadier General Will Lennox was in the office he occupied for the last several years as the N.E.S.T team commander. He was a one star general now, and being moved to the Pentagon to act as military liaison to the Autobots. Most of his belongings were in boxes, only a few more personal things left to pack up, and those he would leave until he was walking out the door. Some of these things, he knew, would never again be displayed for public view. They would be considered classified, and therefore, forever locked away until or unless his work was declassified.

"Sir. You have a call from big blue," the airman first class said through the intercom.

"Thanks Cary. I'll take it in here." General Lennox picked up the phone and hit the blinking line.

"Colonel, er, General Lennox speaking." He still couldn't get used to the rank change.

"General Lennox. We have happened upon a situation and need some advice," Optimus said through the line.

"So, is that why you called instead of just radioed?"

"Correct. Can you be in western Pennsylvania anytime soon?"

"Sure, I'll just ready a team and we can be there in ninety," Lennox said as he began to shuffle paperwork to write up the order.

"No. No team. This is a personal favor I need to ask of you."

"Personal favor? Sure, anything you need, but if I need to take my own personal vehicle, it will take me at least eight hours."

"No need. There will be a ticket waiting for you at the airport, US Air counter. It was purchased under the name, Jay Talbot. It leaves in one hour and arrives in Pittsburgh fifty minutes later. The return flight is scheduled for five thirty pm tonight."

"Just a quick trip then huh?"

"Yes. It is a rather, delicate, situation. It is best discussed in person."

"Sure then, I'll be there in about two hours," Lennox said as he scribbled the information on a post it.

Hanging up, he wondered aloud, "Who is J. Talbot?"

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Airman first class Jacob Cary watched through the glass as General Lennox talked on the phone with the Autobot leader. He didn't have much, but he had a name, and he would have whatever note was written as soon as the general left. He didn't have long to wait, after making another call to his wife, Lennox hung up and left the office.

"Airman Cary. I've got a meeting that will keep me out of the office all day. Please make sure to send any problems to Major Ellison," he said on his way past.

"Yes sir," Cary said as he put the file away and watched the general walk out the door toward the hangar.

Making sure that no one was coming, he hurried into the general's office and scanned his desk. The yellow post it pad laying in front of the phone was easy spot. Picking it up, he quickly looked at it, the indentation the general left when he wrote was easy to read; "US Air to Pittsburgh, twelve forty-five. J. Talbot."

Dropping the pad back on the desk, he reported to Major Ellison.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Major Andrew Ellison was settling nicely into his new office. This was the prime position for what he wanted; keeping an eye on the Autobots as they continued to work in the bays below him.

He had his back to the door when the sound of the airman's footfalls on the carpet leading to his office alerted him. He was about to get company. When he heard the airman stop in front of his open door, he didn't give the boy the chance to knock.

"What is it Airman Cary?" he asked without turning around.

"Just wanted to let you know the general has left for the day. He said he has a meeting."

"With?"

"He received a phone call from big blue. I saw him say he would perform a personal favor for the Autobot. He then wrote down a note that said 'US Air, twelve forty-five to Pittsburgh,' It also had a name, J. Talbot."

"Find me anything you can about this J. Talbot person. Then, find out if she has any ties to Pittsburgh."

"Understood sir," Airman Cary answered.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Mudflap was looking up from the game of checkers he was playing with the British soldier. He didn't like that new guy. Something about him was just off. That Major Ellison was too sneaky. He didn't trust him at all.

"It's your turn Mudflap," the soldier, Fletcher, said.

"Sorry," he said as he diverted his attention back to the game. He cleared the board of his opponent's pieces.

"Where'd this new guy come from anyway?" Mudflap asked.

"His momma," quipped his twin, Skidz.

"Actually, he is a marine that was given this command after he was injured in battle in Egypt. They said he was on his way out if he turned out to be deaf and lose his leg as a result of his injuries," Fletcher informed

"Guess he kept 'em then," Skidz said.

"So it would appear," agreed Fletcher.

"I don't like him," Mudflap said.

"How do you know if you don't like him? You ain't never met the guy more than five minutes before!" Skidz started on one of his rants.

Mudflap and Fletcher remembered something else they needed to do before he got started.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Fig was looking up at the preserved bodies of the robots. It was hard to believe these beings, one of whom cost him his sight, were the reason he could actually see. It seemed almost fitting to him that the scorpion looking thing was the one in the worst shape.

"Sergeant Figueroa," the Airman addressed him. "Dr. Carlisle will see you now."

Fig turned and followed the kid into the doctor's offices. A converted missile silo was the ideal place to keep things like these, he thought.


	7. Chapter Six

Chapter Six:

Jukes burst from the storm sewer out into a gully several miles away from the building. Even with thermal scans, it would be difficult to track them through the labyrinth of piping and the water from the latest snow melt. He took her to the path that had been worn into the hill from countless other traffic. It led to a local baseball park; Clyde was waiting for them in the parking lot.

Dismounting Jukes, Ellie quickly hopped into Clyde's front seat before she removed her helmet. She couldn't afford another headache right now, too much was going on. She sat the helmet on the seat next to her as Jukes closed her door and climbed into the back seat.

"Phase one complete. Let's begin phase two," Ellie told Clyde.

Clyde shifted into gear and began driving toward the lair. "Would you like to stop for an Italian?" he asked.

"Sure, I could keep it for later," Ellie answered.

"Let's get to the hot spot and see what Itsy and Maestro have sent us now. Then, we'll get back to the lair and get ready for their arrival."

"Okay, but I really think you need to eat something. You look pale," Jukes worried.

"I'm fine. Soto probably has something at the lair anyway."

"You need real food. I've taken the liberty of calling Christy's and ordering you a fried ham dinner with green beans. And you will eat it," informed Clyde.

"Ugh! Alright! I'll eat a real meal today. Gosh! You two are impossible," Ellie complained.

"First, can we get to a hot spot so we can get that download?" she asked.

"We are nearing the hot spot now," Clyde informed her. He pulled into a parking lot and stopped.

"Receiving download," Ellie informed as the computer screen flickered.

"Download complete," she continued after a few minutes. "Let's go."

Clyde started driving again.

"It's a larger file than usual," Jukes noticed.

"I think it's a video file. Or maybe several. Who knows? Have to wait 'til we get home to open it," Ellie confirmed.

"What's our ETA 'til we get home?" she asked Clyde.

"About forty-five minutes until we get to the restaurant."

"Fine," she said as she rolled her eyes. "I'm going to take a nap. Wake me when we get there."

She adjusted the seat to lay back and closed her eyes. Within a matter of minutes, she was asleep.

"I'm worried about her Clyde," Jukes quietly told his companion.

"I am too. She's been way too pale, she hasn't been eating properly and she doesn't seem to be sleeping well."

"She hasn't been. It's the nightmares, they're back. I fear it may have been too much for too long."

"Didn't the electromagnetic shielding work?"

"Yes, but she would sometimes go to the convenience store without any sort of shielding."

"What did she do that for?"

"She would get that Pepsi throwback and food. Then, she would come back and sit quietly on the cot for a while before she would get back to work on Ironhide's body."

"I hope this Ratchet 'bot can help her. Have you notified Livewire?"

"Yes. Don't worry; he gave me a good lecture about it too."

"I know her too well to blame you."

As they traveled down Pennsylvania sixty-five, the group fell into a comfortable silence, Clyde and Jukes watching over their charge with great affection.

It was an even greater concern to them both when she didn't even wake up when they went through the drive through to get her sandwich.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Ratchet was in his glory in this place, Bumblebee thought. It seemed to have everything he needed to patch up his fellow Autobots. With every new discovery, he seemed even more impressed with the girl's ingenuity.

After Bumblebee was repaired, he went to talk to his old friends. He wanted to know about this girl. She seemed so small and fragile. The thought that she was treated that way made him angrier than he had ever been.

"Lita One," he approached her holo preserver.

"Bumblebee! I'm so glad to see you again," she greeted.

"Tell me about the girl. She helped me," he spliced.

"Well, she is a really sweet girl. She is always trying to find ways of helping us. Right now, she is trying to find a substitute for Energon."

"How old is she? How long has she been on her own? Who is the guy in the video with the wheelchair? How has she been able to survive so long without adult help?" the questions just kept pouring out of him.

"Whoa there fella!" she teased. "Ellie is twelve years old, almost thirteen. She's been on her own since she was seven. The guy in the wheelchair is her uncle. She has been receiving help from a group of 'bots that were created here."

"Tell me about the 'bots," he said.

"Well, the biggest one she named Clyde. Right now, his alt form is a Chevy Silverado crew cab with a tow package and plow attachment. Jukes is her personal guardian. His alt form is a minibike and he seems to be the one that's been with her the longest. Soto seems to be her local food scrounger. His current alt form is a food vending machine. Mike is the one who still doesn't speak Earth languages. His alt form is a microwave oven. He absolutely adores her and would fight anyone, anytime to protect her. Then there's Livewire. He is the resident medi-tech. His current alt form is a defibrillating machine. He's the one who's been tending to her medical needs. Finally, there's the spidrobots. There are six of them; Spinner, Spiral and Silks whom you've already met, plus Weaver, she's their leader, Webber, he's the total soldier and Webster, he's the funny one. Oh, and I almost forgot, Bonecrusher was like us. He was one of the first Cybertronians she saved. She has him in a straight robotic body without any transforming capabilities, but he doesn't leave the lair much anyway, so no biggie."

"Bonecrusher? But, he's a Deceptacon! What did she save him for?"

"I don't think she really knew that when she saved him. From my understanding, he was dying when she happened on him during her escape. Besides, she seems to have won his loyalty."

"What else can you tell me about her?"

"Well, I don't know much more, honestly. She's very closed off. She doesn't like to talk about much other than what she is working on.

"Why don't you watch the rest of those videos? Honestly, that was the first time I had seen any of that. It does explain a lot about her though. I'm sure there are more on them than that surgery."

Bumblebee nodded once then reached for the laptop. He unplugged it from the holo projector and walked over to the stairs that the girl had slept under. He sat down on the floor and started the videos, making sure to skip the first. As the light of the film flickered over his face, he began to feel . . . something for the girl he didn't quite know how to name. She was so small and fragile, yet unbelievably strong.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Wheelie had come to a dead end. He was able to follow the thermo trail and tread pattern of the 'bot all the way to the storm drain system. Through, he might have added, some very questionable debris. Here, it was impossible to go any further. Only one thing to do; get above ground and get his bearings. Then, see if he can figure out where she would have most likely gone, and report back to the Prime.

'Bot forming, he carefully climbed over some rubble that gave way when he leaned on it.

"Yuck!" he exclaimed as he realized he was elbow deep in the chest cavity of a dead animal. "What is this? 'Night of the Living Dead'?"

Making his way around the animal, he was able to get onto a sidewalk that ran along the spillway. Looking around for a ladder to the surface, he noticed a splash mark that seemed to be recent up on a wall too high for the natural splashing to get.

"Wait a second!" he exclaimed as he investigated. There, on the sidewalk in front of him was a tread mark that matched the one he was following. "Yes! Found you and your little friend too."

Wheelie alt formed and raced off after the splash marks.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Optimus Prime was personally waiting at the airport when General Lennox arrived. He had it timed perfectly to just stop long enough to let the general get in and continue on.

"No trailer today?" Lennox noticed.

"It would have been difficult to maneuver around the gates," Optimus answered.

"I appreciate you coming on such short notice. Unfortunately, there is something I must show you . . . and it isn't going to be pleasant to see."

"Getting straight to business, huh?"

"Yes. As I said, we have been made aware of something, and you really need to see it."

"Okay. So, why don't you tell me on the way to wherever it is we're going, and who is 'J. Talbot?'"

"You are aware of the reports about the girl helping to patch up the wounded these past weeks?"

"Yeah. What about her?"

"We located her base of operation. Unfortunately, she fled. After discovering the message she left for us, it is most understandable."

"She left you a message? Where is it?"

"Here," Optimus said as he played the film he had recorded on the GPS screen.

Lennox was speechless as he watched the film. "I think I'm going to be sick," he said when it was over.

"Do you need me to pull over?"

"Air. Please. Roll down the window."

Optimus pulled over into a parking lot and stopped as he rolled down the window.

Lennox got out and proceeded to lose the contents of his stomach. After he was done heaving, he looked around to get his bearings. They were in the parking lot of a strip mall. Seeing the sign of a dollar store, he staggered his way there and bought a liter and a half bottle of water.

Returning to Optimus, he had almost half of it drunk. "Give me a minute to make sure this stays down," he said.

"Of course.

"I did not think you would have any knowledge of such a thing. It was our understanding experimentation was expressly forbidden on children in this society."

"It is, trust me. If his higher ups had known what he was doing, they would have stopped it; especially with a three year old!" The rising pitch of Lennox's voice told Optimus how disturbed the human was.

"Would you like to continue?" Optimus asked.

Lennox took another gulp of his water then shut the door. "Yeah. I think I'll be okay. Let's just leave the window down alright?"

"Certainly.

"This girl, Urielle, ran away from the program when she was seven. It is my understanding that the male in the wheelchair, Dr. Carlisle, is her uncle. Our knowledge of familial connections, however, is limited, so we cannot calculate the degree of betrayal the girl must be feeling," Optimus said as he rejoined traffic.

"Well, the basic unit of family goes like this; the parents are the progenitors, the male progenitor is the father, the female is the mother. Any siblings they would have would be their child's aunt or uncle. Aunts are the parents' sisters and uncles are their brothers. Then, any children the aunts and, or uncles would have would be cousins," Lennox tried to explain.

"So, this Dr. Carlisle is the brother of one of this girl's parents?" Optimus confirmed.

"Yeah. So, this Carlisle bastard must have gotten her parents to agree to this so called 'treatment' when she was so devastatingly injured."

"According to our information, she is an orphan."

"That would explain why no one came forward to stand up for the girl. He must've been given custody when her parent's died. Which means, he would have unlimited access to the girl, and no one to stand up to him on her behalf.

"What a dirt bag!" he proclaimed.

"Custody? Is it common for custody to be transferred?"

"In the case of death of a parent of a minor child: yes.

"In our society, a child is considered a minor until the age of eighteen. That means they are not considered to have much legal culpability for their actions until then. It also means they are not considered to be able to decide basic need decisions for their selves either. So, in the case of this girl, her uncle probably was able to prove himself a fit guardian for her given her assumed need of a wheelchair after her accident."

"Can anything be done to protect the girl?"

"Well, if we can find her uncle and have him arrested for torturing the kid, he would be removed as her guardian and a new one would have to be named. If she doesn't have any other family members, she would probably end up in the foster care system."

"Most of the information available on the foster care system is not favorable. Does the fact the child was left with a valuable estate alter these odds?" asked Optimus. He was beginning to form a plan to protect this child, but he needed more information.

"Legally, I would say it shouldn't. But honestly, it probably would. I'm sorry to say this, but some people are greedy. If she has a hefty inheritance, she may very well end up awarded to someone who would blow through her money like it was water. It wouldn't surprise me if so called relatives would come out of the woodwork to petition to adopt her just so they could get at it."

"What does a petition to adopt do?"

"The adoption process allows an adult to gain legal custody of a child for the rest of the child's minor years. It's pretty much a legal process that says, as far as the law is concerned, you are legally responsible for the welfare of this child."

"Given this girl's status and knowledge of Cybertronian technology, who would make such a determination?"

"Probably a federal or military court. That would also, more than likely, minimize the number of potential guardians too."

At this point, Optimus and Lennox had made it to the industrial complex and drove into the building.

"Well! This is certainly nice," commented Lennox as he got out.

"It is rather Spartan, isn't it?" Optimus said after he transformed.

"We believe the girl used this place as a temporary base of operation. As I stated, she left a message behind for us." With that, Optimus pointed at the table where the holographic images of Arcee, her sisters and Jazz flickered.

"What the . . . Arcee? Is that you?" Lennox asked with a smile.

"Colonel Lennox! How good to see you again," Arcee greeted.

"It's general now. Wow! It's really you. What happened? How'd you get here?"

"It's a long story that even I don't fully know. All I know is that a round was coming at me, then everything went dark. Next thing I remember, I'm coming to awareness in this situation.

"As to how we got here, Ellie brought us."

"Why?"

"She is ill. Optimus Prime showed you the video?"

Lennox took another gulp of his water then grimaced. "Yeah. How is she ill?"

"We believe that the experiments performed on her are beginning to have negative effects on her health. We were able to get her to agree to notify the Autobots when she did not have the means to repair Ironhide's spark."

"Ironhide? He's here too? How'd she get all of you here?"

"We do not know. According to Jazz, she was able to develop a technology that saved their lives. We are to meet with her and share her technology at a later time," Optimus answered.

"When? If this girl was a part of a government experiment, they're going to want to get her back. Some of these guys might even be willing to kill to get her," Lennox advised.

"She was not a 'part' of a government experiment, General Lennox. She 'was' a government experiment," Optimus clarified.

"We are also aware that she is being hunted by factions of your government. For that reason, we cannot turn her over in good conscience."

"You know I would never let her be used like that," Lennox defended.

"Yes, we know you, personally, would not allow her to come to harm. However, we cannot be certain that someone higher than you in your chain of command would be equally as protective. This is what I ask of you; take the proof of the atrocities committed against this girl to your supervisors. Arrange that the man responsible for her situation is properly punished and no longer able to get to her. Once we are certain she is safe from him, we will make her available to your government."

"I can understand why you would want to protect her. But, you have to realize my supervisors are not going to be just ignoring the fact you aren't cooperating with them. And by cooperating, I mean handing her over without a second thought."

"The last time we fully cooperated with your government, they ordered us off your planet and nearly allowed themselves to be subjugated to Deceptacon rule.

"If they wish to press the issue, point out to them that she was implanted with Cybertronian technology without our knowledge or consent. As the duly appointed Prime of our society, I am the custodian of all Cybertronians, including their technology. That makes me this child's guardian according to the customs of Cybertron. And if that is not enough to make them relent, remind them this child is ill as a result of these procedures, and only a Cybertronian medical professional would have the knowledge and ability to reverse these effects."

"You could suggest that it might be wise to leave her with us, to make sure this illness hasn't managed to become contagious among humans, of course," added Ratchet. Like the rest of the assembled Autobots, he approached when Optimus was talking.

"Of course.

"You know what, as the new military liaison to the Autobots, it is my official decision that this girl will remain under Autobot protection for the time being. Due to suspected corruption of someone in the government that allowed the abuse of this girl to continue for four years, no member of the government or military is to know her whereabouts until the guilty parties are caught and prosecuted," announced General Lennox.

"You can do that?" asked Sideswipe.

"I just did. Now who is J. Talbot?"

"Thank you, General Lennox.

"Jay Talbot is a paper identification created by this girl for Jazz here," Optimus informed him.

"Who is Jazz?"

"That'd be me," Jazz waved.

"I remember you. You were the one Megatron ripped apart weren't you?"

"Yeah. That really left me beside myself," he confirmed.

"I bet. How did this girl create a paper trail and false I.D. for you?"

"Beats me. I just know she left the lair for a while, and then came back with a bunch of papers she said were my new I.D."

"I better check on your I.D. through the government to make sure it doesn't get flagged. If it was created about five or six years ago, it might tip someone off that it's bogus.

"So, why did she think you needed an I.D.? And what's the lair?"

"That's easy, she knew she would need access to money in order to live undetected. So, she set me up online and started shifting money from her inheritance into my name so she would not leave a trail.

"And the lair is where we've been hiding out these last five plus years. No idea where it is though."

"Smart," Lennox agreed. "Now, where's this proof you wanted me to have?"

Bumblebee looked at Optimus then handed the general the laptop.

"The video files are in the thumb drive. They are encrypted, so we are also giving you the laptop with the de-encrypting program already loaded," Optimus informed him.

"Thanks. I'll make sure the Sec Def himself sees this personally. Just to make sure all of the bases are covered, I'll also get a meeting set up with him, the president's security adviser and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs' of Staff," Lennox stated.

"Again, I thank you General Lennox. You have proven to be a true friend."

"Just one thing I need to ask of you now."

"What would that be?"

"I get that you can't trust too many people with this Ellie girl. So, I'm asking you to bring a human into the loop about her. I think Epps would be ideal. We both know we can trust him, he has military training, so he can protect her and he is not in either the military or the government anymore."

"I will take that under advisement," Optimus conceded.

"Now, how are you guys still alive?" Lennox asked Jazz.

"No idea. I think it would be uncomfortable for us to take a little ride with you to your tech people to find out too. I kinda like the idea of being aware, even if I can't move right now," Jazz answered.

"So, you think I should maybe forget that I know you're still alive?"

"That would be preferable," confirmed Optimus.


	8. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven:

Livewire was incensed at Jukes. He knew how vulnerable Ellie was, and still, he let her leave the protection of the warehouse. How could he do that? If she didn't have another brain bleed because of that, it would be a veritable miracle. Boy! He was so not going to go easy on the bicycle on steroids when he got back.

Livewire paced back and forth the width of the receiving chamber with Mike and the Spidrobots trailing behind. The perimeter alarm had gone off about five minutes before, which left him another four to ten minutes to fume.

"At least they got her something to eat on the way back," he muttered.

Mike chattered back his answer, "If it's cold, I'll make sure to heat it up to the perfect temperature."

"You're sure they said they got her ham and vegetables and mashed potatoes with gravy?" he asked the little 'bot.

"Sure as sure can be," Mike chattered. "From Christy's!"

"At least they use real food."

"Soto! Have you gotten word back from the Esses yet?"

Soto leaned against the wall of the adjoining chamber so he could keep an optic on the monitor. "About half hour gone. Ratchet 'bot watch movie. Said six right. Other 'bots watch too. All sad."

"I bet they were all upset about what they saw. How can anyone do that to a baby?"

"New message from the Esses!" Bonecrusher called from his spot next to the cave opening.

"What did they say?" asked Livewire.

"Said, 'Collaborated with human general. Autobots now have custody of Ellie. Opening charges against Uncle Al,'" he read.

"I don't know if that's a good thing or not," Livewire muttered.

"There's more. 'Taking control of Autotronix buildings. Prime has secret forces. Outfitting as bases.' It seems to be in order. That's the end of it," Bonecrusher finished.

Before he could answer, Clyde came driving into the cavern. As Livewire came rushing up to the passenger side door to help Ellie out, Jukes jumped out of the rear door and blocked his way.

"Out of my way you overgrown moped!"

"You know, I'm really getting sick and tired of you blaming her decisions on me. In case you've forgotten, she can be a real sneak when she wants to be, and I can't always stop her.

"Now, would you get out of my way so I can put her in bed?" Jukes asked as he turned around to gently pick the still sleeping girl up. The leather jacket squeaking as he moved.

"How long has she been sleeping?" Livewire asked, all business now.

"About an hour. Before you ask, she got an average of four hours sleep a night since we set up. No, they were not a straight four, she woke up about every two with nightmares then wouldn't go back to sleep. Yes, I did let her sleep and went into the restaurant in my human clothes, and we went through drive-thru to get her sandwich."

"Well, at least she's sleeping now, although she is way too pale. Did she eat the food we sent with her?" he asked as he reached in and grabbed the bags of food then promptly handed them off to Mike.

"Just the fruit. She didn't eat the vegetables or the fish. She ate all the chicken and turkey two weeks ago. Then, she picked at the beef for a week before she just pitched it and started going to the convenience store."

"Damn! Why didn't one of you text us when she ran out of food?"

"Because she didn't run out of food, she threw what she didn't like out and didn't tell us."

"Argh! I swear this girl is going to short out my spark before she's sixteen."

"Maybe we can start a support group, 'Spark Club for Elliebots.'"

By this time, they had made their way to the small alcove Ellie had converted into her private bedroom. Gently, Jukes laid the sleeping girl on her bed then reverently touched her face with his gloved hand before Livewire shooed him out.

Quickly, and with great efficiency, he set about examining her. Although there was a clinic in the caves, they discovered that she had panic attacks when she was the patient in it. So, he decided to examine her in the comfort of her own room whenever he could. The red light of his medi-scan played over her body. The feedback played back in his head as if he were watching a movie. She was anemic, which was no surprise, had a low body temperature and several new small lesions on her brain around the chips. In fact, if he didn't know what he was looking for, he might have missed them given how minute they were. Otherwise, she was fine. The fracture in her shoulder had healed completely and she wasn't bleeding. So, it looked like rest was the prescription for the day.

Accepting that there was nothing more he could do for her, he set about getting her ready for bed; he removed her shoes to reveal the stumps similar to his own feet, took off the heavy jacket she wore and the gloves. Taking this as a sign he was done, Mike scurried into the room and helped cover her with the comforter. Noticing that she was still cold, he hurried to the footlocker setting on the other side of the alcove and got out two more thick blankets and covered her with them as well. They were satisfied when she sighed in her sleep and rolled over onto her side, snuggling deeper into the blankets.

The sound of Megatron bellowing from the arena sent both of them running.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Do not make the mistake of assuming I am the body I've been forced to wear!" Megatron shouted at his opponent as he pummeled him into reset.

The holographic image of Starscream blinked out of the arena and rematerialized over his holo-preserver. Briefly disoriented, he looked around to get his bearings. Sometimes, he was grateful to be a hologram. When Megatron was in this mood, well, this was one of those times.

"Who else would face me? Any 'bot brave enough now? This is a holographic image! No one will die by my hands! Who?" Megatron taunted the assembled images. He thought Soundwave might have been brave enough to face him, but the arrival of Clyde and Jukes stopped his rant.

"Megatron! What are you yapping about?" asked Jukes as he came to the arena. His metallic form was literally a head above the tallest 'bot's hologram positioned in the receiving docks.

"Pathetic worms! We are all mere holograms, and still none of these despicable piles of scrap will face me in battle. Will either of you?" he teased.

"Later.

"Ellie is sick. Quiet so you don't wake her," ordered Jukes.

"So the child is sick? Where is she now?" Megatron asked, almost too innocently.

"In bed, unless you managed to wake her with all your caterwauling," answered Livewire as he came up to the arena.

Megatron blinked out of the arena and returned to his current body. It took him a moment to regain his equilibrium as he reanimated the plush features of the teddy bear he was forced to inhabit. He hated this punishment. Any 'bot who would ask him would be told exactly how much.

Secretly though, the form was beginning to grow on him. In this form, the girl would cuddle with him while she slept. He often soothed her when she began to have her nightmares. She would tell him what the nightmares were about and seek comfort from him, often squeezing him tightly to her as she drifted back to sleep.

But to his Deceptacons, he was gathering information. He was getting the girl, their captor, to trust him so that she would be easier to manipulate. Soon, perhaps in a month, or maybe a year, he would convince her to restore them to their bodies and they could continue to fight the Autobots.

At least, that is what he was telling them when they met in the arena. The truth was, he found himself caring about the child. He did not remember when it started, but he could no longer deny he felt . . . emotion for the girl. An emotion he could only call affection. Perhaps it was when she told him the truth about herself, and what her uncle did to him without his knowledge. For the first time in his existence, he felt violated. At first, he was numb, as if he had suffered an electrical jolt to his central processors and simply could not function. Then, he felt an icy rage engulf him. A quiet, deadly, calculating ire that no amount of time or revenge would quench. Then, a curious thing happened, he looked at the girl and saw guilt on her face. This confused him, what did she have to feel guilty about? It was not her sin, but the sin of her uncle. That was when he realized, she accepted the blame for her uncle's actions, even though she was unaware of what he was doing. She accepted the guilt because she did not understand she was even more a victim than he was.

Megatron shook himself out of his reverie. He would never reveal that his momentary time of reflection concerned anything but his secret plans to destroy the Autobots. He did not think it would be good for his 'bots to know their leader was thinking about the welfare of a human child instead of theirs.

"Take me to the girl!" he ordered Livewire. "Update me on her condition on the way."

Livewire disconnected Megatron from his interface dock and took him to the child's room, updating her status as they went.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Soundwave watched in silence as Livewire took Megatron to Ellie's room. He knew the Deceptacon leader better than any 'bot here, and he knew Megatron was growing to care for the girl. He also believed that his leader might have finally admitted it to himself. This latest episode was Megatron's way of dealing with his concern. The 'bot was worried about the health of the girl. Truth was, all of them were. Some were worried for more personal reasons, namely the fact she was the primary reason none of them were dead or under the microscopes of the humans, others were coming to like the girl.

His personal opinion was of great respect for her. She had saved the lives of every 'bot here, and continued to protect them from both the Autobots and the humans.

He didn't bother to share the agreement he came to with her; she would never lie to him if he would never lie to her, and they both could chose to not answer any questions they wanted. It was a fair agreement. He vowed to himself he would never betray it. He wondered at that. Why would it matter if he did? He was a spymaster, lying was what he did.

Knowing his moods, Ravage and Laserbeak signaled him with their concerns. They were not familiar with this one.

"I am forming a theory about Megatron's relationship with the girl," he signaled back in their personal code.

"He has been showing an illogical amount of interest in the human child," Laserbeak agreed.

"I have also picked up occasional Cybertronian signatures from the girl's cybernetic implants and limbs that are similar to Megatron's," Ravage informed.

Could it be? Soundwave wondered. When he ran the new information against what he already knew, or could extrapolate, he came to a stunning conclusion; Megatron was the source of her cybernetics. In human terms, Megatron was the girl's father, in a way.

Thinking back to when they first came to awareness in this cave, he remembered that the girl took Megatron aside and spent over two hours alone with him. When he was returned to the rest of them, his mood was decidedly darker than it had been. Soundwave remembered being curious about what they had discussed for so long, but then when she took him aside, and they spent almost the same amount of time together, basically learning the ground rules, he had dismissed it. Could she have been telling Megatron about the source of her cybernetics? Now, things were starting to click into place; the favoritism she had for Megatron, the patience Megatron demonstrated toward the girl, they had to be forging a relationship of some kind.

This was an unexpected development. He filed it away for future reference.

The spidrobot, Webster, was perched on the edge of the docking area behind him. He signaled to the insect like 'bot and asked him to bring Bonecrusher there. After looking at the holographic image for a moment, he slowly backed away, keeping his eyes on Soundwave, and proceeded to fall over the edge of the arena.

Soundwave smiled in his mind at the antics of the little 'bot. Sometimes, he wished he could show emotion. Unfortunately, the first thing he learned when he was made a spymaster was to scrub the facial emotional expressions from your fine motor protocols.


	9. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight:

General Lennox was sitting in the first class seat the Autobots had bought for him. He itched to open the laptop and see the rest of those videos, but knew better. This was not a secure environment, and he didn't want to get busted if there was something illegal on it that someone might accidentally see. Instead, he took out his cell phone and called the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff's personal phone number. When he answered, he made arrangements to meet with him at his house. The chairman confirmed that he would get the rest of the people there as well.

Hanging up the phone, he remembered that today was his wedding anniversary. Man! His wife was not going to be happy that he had to work. He better call her now to warn her they were going to have company. This was not going to be pleasant.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Fig was looking around the mess hall of his new base. Of course, he wasn't actually still in the military as a real enlisted troop. But, at least he was still given the rank, pay and privileges of the military.

The guy behind him touched his shoulder to get his attention.

"I strongly suggest you get the chicken. Baked lemon pepper chicken is really good here, unless, of course you're a vegetarian," the freckled faced red-head advised.

"Ignore Flaherty. He'd be sprouting feathers given all the chicken he eats.

"Seriously, they give a good spread here. Better than any mess in the military!" the tall African-American female standing behind him said. The red light of her optic sensor glowing steadily as she assessed the new member.

"Gracias. I'm sure there is little offering for alligator here though," Fig answered.

"Ah! Parlez vous espanol?" Flaherty asked.

"That's French, amigo. I'm afraid my French is limited to Cajun expressions."

"To answer your question, as a matter of fact, we do have some exotic meats on occasion."

"Where?" Fig asked.

The woman nodded to a small island on the opposite side of the room. "When you get your grub, you're more than welcome to come sit with us," she invited.

"Gracias. By the way, my name is Jorge Figueroa, but everyone calls me 'Fig,'" he introduced himself.

"Beverly Hill. Yes, I know, my parents were quirky. That's why I'm called 'Two – ten," she informed him. "This is Brian Flaherty. He's not the brightest bulb, but we like him anyway," she introduced the red-head.

"Huh? What?" Flaherty asked.

"Your chicken is getting cold," Beverly diverted.

"Man! There's nothing worse than cold lemon pepper chicken, except maybe cold chicken noodle soup," he said as he hurried to a table.

Fig returned to the end of the line to wait for Beverly after he was able to get a generous helping of rattlesnake from the exotic food island. If it was as good as it smelled, then he would be quite pleased.

Beverly led him to a table with a group of troops wearing the same patch as them, a skull with glowing red eyes.

"Hey everyone! Make a hole! Noob here. Let's all make him welcome shall we?" Beverly addressed the assembled group.

A blonde man with a buzz cut and a US Marine insignia on his collar moved over to give them more room. Fig sat between him and Beverly, who took the end.

"Howdy. Jimmy James Jeffers here," the Marine introduced himself as he offered his hand.

"Jorge Figueroa, but I go by Fig," he answered as he shook the man's hand.

"They call me J.J."

"Makes sense," Fig replied.

"Since everyone else is stuffing their faces, or otherwise diverted," Beverly said. "Allow me to introduce the others.

"You already know Flaherty, but going down the row, you have Cassie Ingrahm, Eric Nemes, Paul Strothers, Angela LaValle and Tommy Tu," Beverly introduced as each waved or otherwise acknowledged the introduction.

"On this side, J.J. introduced himself already, on the other side of him, you have John Nichols, Mike Burkes and Dale Rand. We are the 'Deadeyes,'" she finished with great gusto.

The Deadeyes whooped when they heard their platoon nickname.

Throughout the introduction, Fig realized that everyone at his table had optic implants. So, he asked about it.

"That's right. The majority of the squads are separated according to their cyborg component. Vulcan squad have audial implants, Bear squad have arms, the Things have hands, 'Roo squad have legs, Rabbits are feet, Boas are spinal columns and then you have the numbered divisions. They're the ones who have multiple implants. In fact, if you happen on the first platoon, well, they're the premier group. Rumor has it that they are the personal guard of Carlisle himself. Some of the chatter going around would indicate they are even involved in a few 'personal' missions for him," Beverly shared.

"So, what is our function here if the numbered are the elite guard of the Doc?" Fig asked.

"Basically, we're the external guards. They put us on the wall because we can usually see what's coming before it gets here," J.J. supplied.

Fig continued to ask questions of his new platoon. He tried not to let on how nervous he was about Two-ten's comments. If the Doc needed a unit for personal missions, he would bet the guy was keeping an eye on his recruits too. And talk like that usually resulted in untimely accidents.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Three tables over, the Deadeyes never noticed the slight, nerdy troop from the second division discreetly palm a smart phone. He locked the phone into the port in his palm and sent the recording of the conversation he was eavesdropping on. The sound of the cameras adjusting a few seconds later told him it was received and they were beginning their investigation.

He disengaged the phone from his hand and put it back into his pocket before he returned to his lemon pepper chicken. Flaherty was right, it was a good dish.


	10. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine:

Megatron didn't pay much attention to the gate Livewire placed in front of the entrance. The medi-tech placed him on the table at the head of the girl's cot and left them alone. They had long ago come to realize he wouldn't harm her.

He sat on the ample padding of his tail and watched the girl sleep. He knew it would only be a matter of time before she would begin to thrash in her sleep and the nightmares would begin. So he spent his time thinking about what he would tell the girl this rest cycle. Should he continue telling her about his various gladiatorial victories? Perhaps, he should tell her about the battles he won. Maybe, he would tell her about his friendship with the young Orion Pax, and how the 'bot betrayed him.

The child moaned in her sleep and began to twitch. So, the nightmares were starting, Megatron thought.

He jumped from the table to the pillow the girl's head was resting on. "Hush child," Megatron whispered as he gently brushed the hair from her face.

She stopped twitching, but frightening emotions flitted across her face. She gasped and began to mumble. To Megatron, he thought he heard the word "Papatron," and then something similar to "Uncle Al." Then, he distinctly heard her say, "No!" as she bolted upright.

"Little one," Megatron addressed her. No one else knew that was his pet name for her.

Ellie blinked, and then tracked his location from his voice. "Papatron?" she asked tentatively. She made certain no one ever heard her address him so familiarly.

"I am here. Lie back down. You are safe now."

She gathered him up into her good arm and lay back down.

He could feel the tension in her body as she fought to keep from crying, the terror of the nightmare still fresh in her mind.

"Tell me about your nightmare. I heard you say my name and something about your uncle. What happened?" Megatron encouraged.

For a long moment, the girl said nothing. Finally, she took a deep breath and let it out on a frustrated sigh. "I met this Ratchet 'bot. Then he saw you and said 'What are you still doing alive?' And then he grabbed you and said, 'I'm going to need spare parts to fix this mess,' as he started ripping you apart. Then, he turned into a giant Uncle Al and grabbed me. That's when I woke up."

Megatron was taken aback. He knew she would often have nightmares about her Uncle Al regaining control of her, but this was the first time she ever told him, even inadvertently, that she was also frightened of him being injured.

Curiously, he felt a shifting in the area of his spark. The best way he could describe it was as if it had opened to shine even more brightly than the brightest sun.

"Well, I'm still alive, and you're still here. Try to rest now," he consoled.

"I'm afraid the giant Uncle Al will come back if I close my eyes," she confessed.

"Would you like to hear another story?" Megatron asked. He still wasn't sure what he would tell her.

"Do you know any happy stories?" she asked hopefully.

He scanned his memory banks, and finally found one she would like.

"Long ago, on Cybertron, well before the war, even before I was a gladiator," he began. "I worked in the mines as a demolitions 'bot in sector sixteen. So, that was what they called me, D-sixteen."

"Why didn't they call you by your name?" Ellie interrupted.

"I didn't have a name then. I had to earn my own name when I became a gladiator," he informed her. "Now hush.

"One day, after a grueling cycle in the mine, I reported to the maintenance clinic for a standard cleaning and upgrade. As I stood in line, waiting for my turn, the most beautiful fem-'bot I had ever seen flitted from one bay to another like a busy little butterfly.

"She was a medi-tech, and very young. Only a few planet orbits from a hatchling in fact."

"Hatchling?" she interrupted again, sleep growing heavy in her voice.

"Newborn. Now hush and close your eyes or I won't continue my story," he threatened.

Megatron continued. "She was a mint green color with soft cream colored details."

"Um, pretty," Ellie commented

Megatron ignored the interruption. "Before I could stop myself, I reached out and caught her arm. It stopped her instantly in her tracks. Then she looked at me with her beautiful green optics with such innocence in her expression. 'Can I help you?' she asked me.

"Her voice was like music to my audials. For the first time in my existence, I found myself at a loss for words. Finally, like a fool, I was able to say something along the lines of upgrades."

The child giggled.

"So innocent she was. I don't think she realized how smitten I was with her.

"'I'm afraid upgrades are postponed for the cycle. There was a cave-in in sectors one twelve through one eighteen. Right now, we have sparks to save. You'll have to come back either before or after your next shift,' she said to me.

"She gently removed my hand from her arm and continued her harried flitting from one bay to another. I continued to stand there for a brief time later, just staring after her when some of the rescue 'bots brought in two more severely damaged 'bots. It was like I was in some sort of fog when they said the collapse was expanding, and they didn't think they would be able to stop it before the whole mine was gone."

"Thought this was happy?"

"That's when I realized I might be able to help. So, I ran back to the mine and found the emergency command post the rescue units had set up. I was able to see immediately what the problem was; they were trying to set off control explosions to stabilize the current cave-in and in the process, they were destabilizing the surrounding sectors."

"Idjits."

"Finally, after I forcibly made the rescue commander listen to me, I was able to intervene, gather several other demolitions 'bots together, and we stopped the collapse. After we were able to verify the area was stable again, we stayed out and helped the rescue units find as many survivors as possible. When it was all said and done, there were six dead and one hundred ninety-four injured."

The child snuggled Megatron closer to her as she whispered, "My hero."

"After we had tended to the dead, I returned to the clinic and waited outside for the rest of the injured to be seen to. She would have to leave soon after that. At least, that was my reasoning. Soon, it was nearing time for my next shift, and still, the medi-tech did not emerge.

"Not wanting to acknowledge my part in the previous cycle's happenings, or the fact I spent the night waiting for her to come out, I went into the clinic with the excuse I was following her suggestion about coming in for my upgrades before the next shift.

"When I went into the structure, there was no 'bot there. So I waited. When no one emerged to find out who had come in, I went in search of her. I eventually found her in the slag bay, kneeling over the dead and trying to desperately find even a glimmer of spark in any of them. My very spark seemed to scald my chest with the desperate hope she displayed.

"As gently as I could, I pulled her away from them. At first, she tried to fight me, 'No!' she exclaimed. 'I have to save them.'

"'You can't. They are gone,' I said to her.

"'What good is a medi-tech who can't repair even the most damaged?' she pleaded with me.

"'A normal one,' I told her. Finally, she gave up trying to return to the dead and turned to me. I held her as she sobbed into my chest."

"Fluffy chest," she mumbled sleepily.

"Eventually, she regained her composure. 'I'm so sorry,' she said to me.

"I told her no apologies were necessary, and that it was refreshing to find a medi-tech who actually cared about her patients.

"We talked for a few moments, and then she escorted me back into the clinic where she completed my standard maintenance and upgrades. As she was finishing up, I was afraid I would never have the chance or courage to approach her again, so I asked her out.

"She said yes and we eventually were unified . . . That's the Cybertronian version of marriage," he clarified before she could ask.

"Wha's it like?" Ellie wanted to know.

"A unification ceremony is a bit different than a human marriage ceremony. The male and female 'bot basically report to a mutual network terminal, upload their petition to unify, then wait for approval. It only takes a few micro cycles for it to be approved or not. If it is, then they can cohabitate in the fem-'bot's quarters and begin their life together."

"Party?" she asked.

"Sometimes. It depends on the unified couple's standing, and how many other males the female already has."

"Hmmmm?" the child made a quizzical sound.

Megatron chuckled. "Yes. Cybertronians practice polyandry."

"Huh?"

"Ah! Found a human word even you don't know did I?" he teased.

"Polyandry is the practice of a female being unified, or married in your language, to multiple males at the same time.

"You see, males outnumber females by over eighty to one in our society. So, to adjust to this, it is permitted for females to have as many males unified to her as she wants. Of course, if things don't work out between the male and female, or one male and other males in her unification, the female can dismiss the male in question.

"Usually, she transfers her male's unification state to another female. Sometimes, if no other female wants the male in question, well, it is considered a grave insult. At those times, either the female can transfer the male to one of her daughters, if she is lucky enough to have one, or just dissolve the unification status altogether. In those cases, it is rare that a male would find another female on his own. Occasionally, the male will get lucky and find a young female to unify with him before she has enough experience to know better."

Megatron kept talking for another twenty minutes. He saw that his little one had fallen asleep sometime between his definition of polyandry and the social status of Cybertronian unification laws. Thinking about it, he realized the topic was a bit over the head of a twelve year old human, no matter how intelligent she was. But, he knew that the sound of his voice helped her sleep without nightmares.

Once he determined that the girl was sleeping soundly again, he settled back to watch her face. As was typical, when he spoke about his unified, the memories flooded him. This time, instead of turning them off to focus on the war, he allowed them to swamp his processors; he remembered the fun they had as they learned about each other, he remembered the absolute joy on her face when the approval came over the 'net for their unification, he remembered how his circuits sang when she engaged his unification port, right there at the terminal in front of anyone who would be happening by. The feeling of her arms wrapped around him as his wrapped around her and their mouths fused to give her access to his most intimate memories. He could almost feel the slide of her access tube through his teeth to engage the port at the back of his mouth. In his memory, he was still laughing at her eagerness to drag him off to her residence, once there, she had told him, they would have to apply to get on the seeding cycles.

The memories flooded him, but instead of leaving him cold and angry as they usually did, he felt light again. For a few blessed moments, he was happy. Finally, the final memories came.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

He was at the mine during his routine shift when the notice went out about another collapse. Running with the other miners, he was able to scoop up three salvage scrap drones and another miner who had fallen when the sound of another collapse behind him seemed to chase him out of the sector. He got to the assembly point as the last of the rumbling quieted.

Waiting around for the foreman 'bot to verify numbers and identities seemed to take forever. Eventually, they were told to report to the clinic to make certain there were no delayed injuries. Megatron felt as if he was floating as he ran to the clinic when she called him via their personal radio link. He remembered sliding to a stop when he heard the panic in her voice. "I'm fine. I'm on my way to the clinic," he tried to answer her. But she didn't hear. In desperation, he accessed her optics to see where she was. She was digging in the mine, screaming for him. He felt his very spark stutter at that instant when he realized she thought he had been caught in the cave-in. She was going to dig him out with her bare hands if she had to.

Turning around, he barely took a step before he had completed his aerial alt-form and was zooming off toward her location. He kept his connection to her, continually trying to get her attention that he was fine. She was too grief stricken to believe her audials.

Finally, he had zeroed in on her and was nearing her location when a secondary landslide let go above where she was digging. He saw the dirt close over her head through her optics, felt the boulders crushing her torso, then the sensation of being torn in two as her bottom half got caught between stationary boulders and her top half was still being carried away between the boulders in the moving soil.

He roared out his rage and anguish as the connection between them suddenly severed and he dove headlong toward the coordinates where he last had contact with her, calculating where she would be given the rate of descent of the soil's movement. Diving into the soil as if it was nothing more than water, he prayed at that moment that he would either find her and she would survive, or he would die stabilizing the soil so that she would be found and survive.

The concussion of his entry into the landslide had the desired effect of thinning out the soil below it to make it easier to work through. It also temporarily stunned him. Megatron had not completely shaken off the effects when he was already in 'bot form and searching the soil where he knew she should be. He even was using his enhanced ore vision to find the metals of her frame. Eventually, after what seemed like forever, he saw her hand sticking up through the debris. He lunged at it in desperation and began to dig around it. It was not connected to her body. Finally, he saw her face looking up through the dirt, the optics had been broken, so she couldn't see, but he tried to let her know he was there, praying her audials were still working. He dug her out and held her tightly to his body, screaming for help. Slowly, or so it seemed to him, the rescue 'bots arrived. They cracked open her chest to monitor the spark, and that was when he realized she was truly dead.

The grief overwhelmed him at that time. In his rage, he succumbed to the ancient practice of self-mutilation, and ripped off his own lip plates.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Megatron came out of the self-induced fog of the memories and waited for the ever present anger to engulf him. They didn't come. Instead, he felt only sadness at the loss of his beloved. He realized he didn't even feel the usual hollow feeling.

Looking at his little one, he found a moment of crystal clarity about himself. For the first time, he accepted his role in the destruction of Cybertron; he was the lynchpin that started it. True, there were a great deal of factors leading up to the final escalation, but he was the one who ultimately decided to pull the trigger.

He accepted that he was not, necessarily, a popular leader, most of his Deceptacons followed him out of either fear or a love of fighting, and as long as he could continue to give that to them, they would continue to follow. But lately, in this place, he realized the war could not continue forever. He remembered the one question the girl asked him when he first got here and she was talking to him about the war; "What you're fighting for might be worth dying for, but what do you have worth living for when the war is over?"

The question had stumped him. He never allowed himself to think about what was beyond the war. He was so consumed with his own grief and making the bureaucrats, and the Cybertronian society at large, pay for his unified's death, he never thought about surviving the war. Now, he knew he must think about that, and what the price would be for anyone he cared about.

Remembering the way the others had been whispering about him recently after his girl could no longer hide her illness, and the way he lashed out at them all when she was particularly weakened by an episode, he realized they knew he cared about her.

He knew what he had to do, and the knowledge ripped his spark out.

The sound of metallic treads in the connecting caverns brought Megatron out of his reverie.

He wriggled his way out of Ellie's grasp. He landed on the dirt floor of the cavern. As was typical, he landed on his back, the balance of this body not suited to landing upright.

He pushed himself to his feet and toddled to the curtain. It took two tries for his plush fingers to find and grasp the edge so he could open it and look out. Out in the corridor, Bonecrusher was stopped in front of Ellie's quarters; Soundwave in his hands.

"Yes?" Megatron demanded as quietly as he could through the child's gate.

"Is the girl sleeping soundly?" Soundwave asked.

"Yes. She won't overhear us. What is it?"

"You are aware that Optimus Prime and the Autobots will be arriving in twenty-one hours. What is the plan once they have aided the girl?"

"We will convince the girl to restore us to our bodies and then we will continue our assault on the Autobots."

"How will we accomplish this with the Autobots here?"

"I will tell her the Autobots will want to kill all of us if she does not intervene on our behalf. It will scare her into hiding us before they get here and then it will be a matter of time before she will rebuild us."

"Are you certain she will believe you?" It was the first time Soundwave ever outright questioned Megatron's logic. He knew it was a risk, but he needed to gauge his response.

"Are you questioning me?" Megatron asked quietly. Dangerously.

"No. I am questioning the girl's naiveté," Soundwave answered.

"Naïve, is one thing the child is not," Megatron chuckled. "The girl will obey. She likes me."

"That is not a guarantee she will listen," Bonecrusher interrupted.

"And how would you know?" Megatron asked.

"She knows her Elliebots want what is best for her, and she loves every last one. However, she still has directly ignored, or outright disobeyed more than one of their instructions.

"I would speculate that she would not be meeting with the Autobots tomorrow if she was still able to ignore her own illness."

Megatron and Soundwave looked at each other in surprise. That was the longest thing Bonecrusher had ever said to either of them at one time.

"What proof do you have of this?" Soundwave questioned.

"The most recent example was when she and Jukes made initial contact with the Autobots today. Jukes confessed to Livewire that the girl would not eat the food they sent with her if she didn't like it. Also, he informed the medi-tech she left the shielding of her base to get sustenance she preferred.

"She knows she needs to eat properly, but will disobey if she doesn't like the taste. She knows she needs to remain shielded or her illness will get worse, but, again, she will disobey if she so chooses.

"Also, she disobeyed Jukes, Livewire and the others when she created the arena for you and the others. She disobeyed Jazz and the rest of the Autobots when she gave you a body, even if it is that of a plush toy."

Bonecrusher finished his lecture to silence. It took so long before either Soundwave or Megatron responded, he began to get nervous.

Megatron looked at Soundwave, and then did something he rarely ever did. "What would you suggest then?" he asked of Bonecrusher.

Bonecrusher was taken aback. Megatron never asked for anyone's opinion unless he thought they would just confirm his own. Perhaps this was the time to share a little bit of the knowledge he had.

"I do not think the girl will allow any of us to be destroyed. She will only allow the Autobots access if she is certain they will treat us with some semblance of civility. It is my belief that she will restore us to our bodies in time. The key is, she has to trust us. If she does not trust any 'bot, I believe she will not restore them."

"And who, exactly, do you think she trusts? And who does she not?" Soundwave asked.

"She trusts me, you, Laserbeak and she trusts Megatron and his judgment on who is loyal to him. She does not trust Sentinel Prime, Shockwave or Starscream. Everyone else, she is up in the air about."

Megatron had to chuckle. "She's much more intelligent than even I realized if she doesn't trust those three. The only one that I may have to work on her about would be Shockwave. I don't trust his morality myself, but he is easy enough to handle when allowed to explore his scientific curiosity undisturbed."

"That is what will keep him in his holo-preserver. He reminds her of her uncle," Bonecrusher pointed out.

"If you can, let the others know, with the exception of Sentinel Prime, that they can win their own restoration if they can win the girl's trust. Sentinel Prime can rust and rot for all I care," Megatron ordered Soundwave.

The sound of Ellie becoming restless in her cot caught Megatron's attention. "She is beginning to have another nightmare. Go now. Spread the word among the others."

As the curtain dropped across the opening, the squishing sound of his stuffing shifting as he walked back to the girl receded. A few minutes later, they could hear his soft murmurings and the girl quieted.

"See? She trusts him. Very few other 'bots have that effect on her," Bonecrusher told Soundwave.

It was worse than Soundwave feared. Ellie and Megatron loved each other. For the first time in his existence, he made a decision that was completely selfless.

"Hand me off to Jukes when you return to your station. I believe it is time to start gaining the trust of more than just the girl," he informed Bonecrusher.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Passing through the lab cavern, he found Jukes looking at the perimeter monitor. Without a word, he handed Soundwave's holo-preserver to Jukes and trekked out to the arena.

Jukes was surprised when the spymaster looked directly at him and addressed him by name.

"You are Jukes, the girl's oldest comrade and protector?" he confirmed.

"Yeah. And you are Soundwave, the spymaster of the Deceptacons and the one 'bot no other 'bot completely trusts."

"That would be correct.

"Now, I must share some information with you regarding Megatron. He has grown emotionally attached to the girl. This will prove to be dangerous to them both."

"How so?" Jukes was curious. He knew they were becoming emotionally entangled, but thought it might be a good thing, at least as far as Ellie was concerned.

"Megatron has many enemies. Not only among the Autobots, but also within the Deceptacon ranks as well. I had been monitoring their movements to try and find the 'bot in charge when I arrived here. There are a couple here who may be directly connected to them, and a few more who are indirectly so. I fear that when, or if, we are restored to our bodies, they will give their leader an unusual power over Megatron."

"You figure that if it becomes common knowledge that Megatron cares about Ellie, whoever this underground leader is will target her to gain leverage over him."

"Correct."

"Thank you for telling me. I believe the best course of action is to tell them both. I'm afraid that I can't just arbitrarily separate them, or that might raise even more flags. Not to mention, it will wear out the reset button on most of the holo-preservers of the opponents he would face.

"No. When I go to pick up Megatron in the morning, I will tell them both that they seem to really be caring about each other. That should sound the alarm bells in his head and get him to pay more attention to his behavior about her."

"That might be the wisest action," Soundwave agreed. He had done all he can, now he had to leave it up to the Elliebot.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Megatron returned to the cot and climbed his way up to where the child slept. "My little one," he sighed as he stroked her cheek. "No matter what, know that you are my daughter. I fear that I have not guarded that fact as well as I could have. Now, my love for you has put you in danger, and for that . . . well, no words can convey my sorrow. I ask only that you forgive me for the betrayal I must commit to protect you.

"Optimus Prime and the other Autobots will be here tomorrow. They will protect you with their dying spark if they must. And Prime? My oldest and most honest friend, he will fall in love with you," he chuckled. "How can he not? You are easy to love. I only hope that he will take you under his protection, and that you will love him in return. He deserves that, to be loved unconditionally."


	11. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten:

Wheelie emerged into the dark covered with the slime and other questionable muck from the drain. The area where he was was hidden by shadows cast by the hills on either side of him. He took a few moments to get his bearings. The cloudless night proved to be fortunate for that task, easily able to triangulate his position by the stars.

"How the frick did I get all the way over here?" he wondered aloud. According to his calculations, he was almost four miles from the warehouse.

Looking around, he discovered a trail obviously made by countless other dirt bikes and bicycles glowing white under the three quarter moon. The lack of light from that direction determined his route.

"If I were going to make an escape route, I would want to stay out of the light to help me get as far away as possible as quickly as possible," he reasoned to himself.

'Bot forming so he could jump the distance between the lip of the storm drain and the packed earth, he landed just an inch too short and fell into the running snow-melt.

"For the love of . . .! Frick! That's cold!" Wheelie exclaimed as he hurriedly climbed onto the shore. "Sheesh! I'm gonna end up like Megatron if I'm not careful. Boy! I hope I don't get ice in my servos. That'd be painful."

Alt forming and then 'bot forming a couple of times helped him flush most of the almost freezing water out of his gears. Hoping that would be enough, he climbed his way onto the trail and followed it to the top of the hill.

He found himself in a parking lot adjacent to a baseball field. A stand of trees shielded it from the road. Looking around, he was able to see a space close to the top of the trail with the ghost image of Energon radiation still faintly visible to his thermal scans.

Quickly, he radioed back to Brains his location and request for pick up. He received confirmation that Optimus Prime and Prowl would be there in about eight minutes to retrieve him.

"Prowl?" Wheelie thought aloud. "When did he get on planet?" He hoped the former law enforcer would have more important concerns than enforcing the minor antiquities trading warrant he was wanted for on Cybertron.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Optimus arrived at the coordinates and found Wheelie suspiciously covered with dirt and debris, as if he had jumped into the nearby mud puddle and then rolled around in the lot.

"Wheelie, report," he ordered.

"Okay boss. Got out of the tunnels over there," he pointed to the gulley, "about twenty minutes ago. It seemed the boiler room had a hole made into the wall to provide access to the local storm drains. Fell into the water when I couldn't make the jump from the tunnels to the path that led up to here."

Wheelie then walked over to stand at the top of the path and then pointed to a parking space. "I noticed an Energon echo in that parking spot. Looks like this girl has more than one 'bot helping her. I'm guessing whoever this guy was, he was waiting for a while for them to get here."

"Yes, we have since learned that she has a compliment of about twelve or so 'bots helping her," Optimus confirmed.

"Prowl, what is your analysis?" he asked.

"Are you aware this guy has a warrant for antiquities trading on Cybertron?" Prowl asked. He had been looking suspiciously at Wheelie throughout his narrative.

"What? No. I did not know this. However, given the current situation of a war and everything, I think we can consider him as making restitution," Optimus said distractedly. He was gauging the size of the tunnels the girl had used as an escape route.

"If you say so," Prowl relented.

Kneeling down to examine the Energon echo he ran a few diagnostics and verified his calculations with his forensic scanner. "This guy is about twenty-two to twenty-five feet tall in his 'bot form. His alt form is an extended cab pick-up truck or SUV given the distance in the wheelbase, the tire track is standard on GM models. He is either less than ten Earth-years old, or else he found another source of Energon, given how large of an echo he left. And given the dispersion rate of Energon, he would have had to be setting here at least twenty hours, and left about twelve hours ago."

"What do you think about this tunnel conduit?" Optimus asked him.

"Well, I'd say if they are this large the entire way through, most of us would be able to use them as escape routes ourselves if we remained in our alt' forms," Prowl advised.

"Actually, they vary in size by about two feet, depending on which way you go," Wheelie supplied. "And the boiler room is the most confined, mostly because of all the piping and stuff through it."

"Not to mention the access to the boiler room is human sized," Prowl stated.

"I believe the girl has been setting this up to help us from the beginning," Optimus speculated. "She appears to be giving us a foundation to function independently from the humans; choosing buildings and locations that are easily defended and have access to multiple escape routes. I wonder . . ." Optimus thought aloud.

"Brains? This is Optimus Prime," he radioed back. "Have the others re-examine the entire property listed on the deed to the warehouse. I want them to look for hidden entrances and openings that connect with tunnels and other pre-existing man-made and natural throughways."

"Funny you should mention that," Brains radioed back. "We've found three other openings to tunnels like that, and we also discovered that this entire industrial complex was bought at the same time as this building. Do you want us to examine the other structures now, or do you want to wait 'til morning?"

"Recon the other structures for defensibility and see if there are any un-invited guests tonight. We will conduct a more thorough search in the morning.

"Has Hound made it yet?" Optimus wanted to know.

"Radioed in about five minutes ago. He's about twenty minutes out."

"Acknowledged. Out.

"Have we learned everything we can here, Prowl?" Optimus asked.

"I believe so. Unless you would let me question Wheelie on the way back?" Prowl asked, almost eagerly.

"Seriously, forget the warrant. You can keep an eye on him if you would like, but he is an Autobot now.

"Let's roll out. Back to the warehouse," Optimus ordered.

Grabbing Wheelie, he alt formed and headed back toward the complex. "You better not leak all over my upholstery. It was just cleaned three days ago," he warned the little 'bot.

Prowl turned on his lights as he gave the Autobot leader a police escort back to the new base. He liked this new form as a Pennsylvania state highway patrol car.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Barricade watched the report flash across his terminal. This was even more fortuitous than he could have hoped for. Not only was Megatron and Starscream dead, with no apparent chance of re-animation, but so was Soundwave. The cherry on the top of his usurper's sundae, he would say, was that Shockwave was also in the same state. Could life be any sweeter?

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

After his fourth trip to the bathroom to vomit, General Lennox decided to just watch the rest of the videos there. After all, it was going to just make his wife and children upset hearing him running through the house.

Finally, after another two episodes and three more dry heaves, he got through every single video. He washed his face and was brushing his teeth to get rid of the taste when he glanced up and saw his wife staring in horror at the laptop with tears streaking her face.

"Sarah! How long have you been standing there?" he asked in concern.

"After the fifth round," she answered distractedly.

"Who is she? Who is that poor baby girl they did such unconscionable things to? Why did they do all that to her? Where are her parents that they could let that happen? Who was the monster that did that? Who?"

"I can't tell you the answers to all of those questions. Believe me, those are a lot of the same questions I intend to ask my supervisors.

"I can tell you that she is an orphan and the man responsible for," he pointed helplessly at the laptop, "is her uncle.

"Now, I need you to not let on you saw any of those videos. The Sec Def himself as well as several higher ups in the government are going to be here in about an hour to be briefed on her. I don't want them to think you might be a liability and saw something you shouldn't have."

"You're right. I probably shouldn't be here at all. I'm going to take the kids to the movies. There's a new cartoon they have been pestering me to go see." She wiped the tears from her face and looked at her husband.

"Just tell me one thing, is she safe now?"

"Yes. I gave temporary, emergency custody to the Autobots. They won't let anything happen to her."

Sarah seemed to relax in relief as she looked at her husband.

"I'm going to use the joint account to take the kids to the movies. Call me when your meeting is over," she said as she kissed him on the freshly cleaned cheek.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Lennox set up the laptop in the panic room of his basement. Since he was a general now, it was considered a necessity to have secure locations easily accessible to him. After all, you never knew when a war was going to break out and you would be isolated.

Finally, after making sure there was plenty of water, and leak proof garbage cans available, the first members of the meeting arrived.

"Okay, since we are all here now," he addressed them twenty minutes later, "I need to brief you on something that has just come to my attention. It is in regards to an experiment conducted under former s-seven control, designation maimed angel."

"Yes, I am familiar with the project," Tom Banichek interrupted.

"It involved implanting cybernetic technology into the body of a brain dead soldier. As I understand it, it was proving to be most promising until N.B.E. one's escape compromised the subject and they had to end the research."

"Let me guess, Dr. Alistair Carlisle told you that?"

"Yes. He and his assistant, Dr. Alicia Elgin gave me regular updates."

"They lied," Lennox said simply. "The truth is, the so called subject of the maimed angel project was Dr. Carlisle's injured three-year-old niece. She wasn't brain dead, the accident that killed her mother cost her both legs, an arm, eye and ear."

"I don't believe it. I would never have allowed that to happen," Banichek defended.

"Whether you would or not is beside the point. The fact is it happened, and when Megatron escaped, so did the girl. She has been hiding and running ever since."

"How do you know all of this?" the Secretary of Defense, Dr. Jason Longhorne, asked.

"Because the girl is becoming ill as a result of the experiments conducted on her. When she realized she was becoming incapacitated, she sought out the Autobots. They, in turn, notified me.

"She left them this proof about what happened to her. I do have to warn you though, it is quite sickening to watch. That's why I took the liberty of providing you all with barf buckets. They're under the table in front of you."

After the video was over, and several of the repurposed garbage cans had been used, the collected group sat in silence as they absorbed what they had seen.

"Where is the girl now?" Security Advisor Jennifer Agosto asked finally.

"I granted the Autobots emergency custody until a full investigation can be conducted. I mean, if it was these cybernetic implants that made her sick they would be the best chance of helping her."

"Have them surrender the girl to us as soon as possible," Dr. Longhorne decided.

"With all due respect sir, I can't do that. Even if Banichek didn't know about it, somebody did, and the Autobots and I agree she is safer with them than in military custody where her uncle will get her back."

"Consider it an order," he replied.

"Belay that," Agosto intervened.

"Optimus Prime and the Autobots will keep her until I brief the president. Then, we will allow him to decide her custody issue.

"Inform them they can have access to anything they will need to save her.

"Am I correct in assuming the issues facing the girl are potentially terminal?" she asked as she looked the Sec Def in the eye.

"According to the Autobot chief medical officer, Ratchet," Lennox nodded.

"I will need this proof to brief the president. I'm sure he will be available after his vacation next week," she told Lennox as she reached for the laptop.

"Yes ma'am," he answered as he handed it over.


	12. Chapter Eleven

**A/N:** _I would like to apologize for the discrepancy in chapter lengths. The *holes* are where the subplot of Dr. Alistair Carlisle and his minions, as well as Barricade's angle, will __be going when I can get Ellie's storyline out of my head. TL_

Chapter Eleven:

The sun filtered through the lair as if it were high noon. That was one of the bad things about the quartz veins; they always amplified the light of the sun. The curtain across the entry to Ellie's room provided just enough shadow to not startle the poor girl awake with the first rays of dawn, and allowed enough light to spill around the edges to softly illuminate the small cavern.

Megatron left his position beside her head to prepare the room for her day with a heavy spark. He jumped off the bed and righted himself. First thing he did was move her shoes closer to her cot so she would not have to walk across the floor to gather them. Then, he gathered up the quilts she had kicked off during the night and returned them to the foot locker. Inspecting his work with a critical eye, he nodded once and climbed back up to the little one's table. There, he picked up the dark glasses she always wore and fingered them as he waited for her to awaken.

After about an hour or so, she began to stir. Slowly, she woke up. He was pleased to note that; it meant she had slept soundly and was well rested. He heard Jukes arrive and wait outside the curtain for the girl to call him in.

Finally, she moaned. "I don't want to get up," she said.

"Then why don't you go back to sleep?" Megatron asked her.

"'Cause I hafta pee," she announced miserably.

"Oh. So, why don't you go relieve yourself and go back to sleep?"

"We both know that once I'm up, I can't go back to sleep unless I'm sick."

"You are sick. That's why you sent for the medic to come today. Remember?"

"That's today?" the girl gasped.

"Yes," this worried Megatron. Her memory was getting worse.

"Do you remember my name?" he asked her.

Ellie thought for a moment. "Megs," she said with authority.

"Close," he confirmed.

"Okay, it's Megatron, but I call you Megs because I can."

"You call me that retched name because you know I don't like it."

"You just say you don't like it. I think you don't like that you like it."

"Will you please put on your shoes and call to Jukes to come in? This conversation is going nowhere," Megatron ordered as he handed her the sun glasses.

Ellie put them on as she sat up and put her metallic feet into her shoes. They were right where they were supposed to be; under her feet when she sat on the side of her cot.

"What time is it?" she asked him.

"I believe it is around eight a.m.," he said.

"Okay. I still have ten hours to get everything ready. I wonder who else besides this Ratchet 'bot is going to come. Any ideas?"

"Most definitely, Prime, himself. He will not allow his medical officer to enter into an unknown situation. At least two other 'bots with a great deal of fire power each as well."

"How tall is the tallest one?"

"Prime is the tallest. He stands about thirty foot tall, much like my own body."

Ellie looked down at him quickly and frowned before she quickly looked away.

Megatron felt a momentary pang of guilt. He would admit that he didn't start out really liking this body, but, after a while, found it had its perks; the least of which was not worrying about scratching her when he touched her as she slept, or worse.

"Then I guess we can offer him the alcove off the steam cavern. That's got about a forty foot clearance. At least he wouldn't be banging his head all over the place."

"Wait a minute! You mean they will be invited to stay here?" Megatron was incensed.

"Of course. What did you think was going to happen? This Ratchet 'bot was going to take one look at me, wave a magic wand and disappear?"

"Of course not! But I did not believe you would allow them to come to this place. I believed you would go with them and get care at their facility."

"And then what? Just happily wake up in my uncle's lab when the anesthetic wears off? Or worse, in some government hospital where they can monitor my every move again, if they even let him fix whatever is wrong? Besides, how can I be sure they would have the facilities necessary to keep me comfortable and safe?"

Megatron didn't know what to say to that.

"Would you like to call in Jukes now?" he asked. She had finished gathering her change of clothes and bathing supplies.

She sighed heavily, "Fine.

"Jukes! You can take Megs back to the others now," she called.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Jukes was inordinately proud of his little Ellie. She held her own against the Deceptacon leader, even making him change the subject rather hastily.

Now, he had to make them both rather unhappy to protect them both.

"I hear the love birds are having a morning spat," he greeted as he pulled back the curtain.

"Explain that remark!" Megatron ordered.

"What? The way you two were going back and forth, you almost sounded like a father, daughter debating team."

Ellie smiled and headed past him for the entryway to the alcove. Megatron was utterly still as Jukes reached for him.

Jukes was glad the Cybertronian was taking the time to assess this new information. Yes, it would hurt Ellie, but it might save her life. If Soundwave was to be believed, then Megatron didn't know he was already on his way down, and he would be turning Ellie into the landing pad when he fell.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Ellie left the alcove that served as her quarters and made a right, following the corridor past the lab and up a slight incline that arched to the right and over the lab. Once to the apex, she stayed to the left fork that led to the natural pools that she used as her bathroom. After she took care of her business, she washed her hair the best way she could and bathed, quickly exiting the water for fear of rusting.

She toweled off and sat on a ledge closest to the back wall where the water condensed on the ceiling from the sauna chamber below. Here, her hair would dry quickly, and she would have some private time to take care of some personal matters.

The first thing she did was access the recording her audial made overnight. She was sad that Boomer and Papatron were still scheming behind her back. They were becoming family. But, she realized, they didn't know what that meant. She also knew they didn't know that was her feeling about them. They didn't, necessarily, share the same feelings. Except Papatron, him, she knew. Briefly, she wondered how he would react if she confessed to him she could feel his emotions. Probably get mad and accuse her of manipulating him.

Shaking out of her thoughts, she turned her attention back to the recording. She knew that Boney would repeat the conversation to her at a later time, when no one else would be able to overhear them and he could still gain information from the Deceptacon side. He was truly converted to an Elliebot, as her oddball assortment of friends chose to dub themselves. Scanning through the rest of the recording, she briefly wondered what her Papatron meant about betrayal, then shook her head and dumped the sections that had nothing on them.

She wondered what the others would say if they ever found out she continued to record sounds and video through her cybernetic implants even when she was sleeping. Scratch that, she wondered if the others would be mad at her, or pity her for not having the option of turning them off. It wasn't like she even had an eyelid to close over the optic anyway, and she tried to sleep with her audial implant in the pillow to keep it somewhat quiet in her head.

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she turned to the laptop and plugged it into the extension cord she had strung from one of the various generators that were strategically placed around the lair.

It only took a few minutes for the laptop to power up and login to the downloads her secret friends had sent her. They were a series of files about the soldiers her uncle had "healed," as they thought, and recruited into his personal military. Then, there was a video file. She read the files about the soldiers, including the new "Lazarus" and "Phoenix" units and memorized them. Then she turned to the video. It was prefaced by Maestro's lilting brogue urging her to act quickly.

The video was a security camera feed. It showed several cameras in a grainy black and white, recording the movement of everyone on the base. Then, the flurry of activity on the camera focused on the observation bay caught her attention. She selected the camera, bringing the video to the whole screen, and felt her heart fall to her feet. What they were bringing in was bad enough, but who was receiving it was enough to make her blood freeze in her veins.


	13. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve:

She knew this was a bad idea. But, everyone involved deserved to know. The question was, when should she tell them? If she waited until Jazz and his friends got here, she would only have to tell everyone once. But, if she did that, then she didn't know how they would react to her sharing the information with her holo friends.

She needed to talk to Megatron. Ask him if he would object to her showing the portion of the video with her uncle in it so everyone would know exactly how far he was from where he should be.

Hastily shoving her dark glasses on her nose, she raced down the corridor and through the lab. Clyde, Soto, Mike and the spidrobots were already at the rendezvous site to make certain there would be no ambush, or worse, soldiers.

"Jukes! Livewire! Boney! Quick! Get everyone to the arena. Make sure you grab Que and Shockwave too.

"Megatron. I need to talk to you privately," she said. Not giving him the chance to answer, she grabbed him and shoved him under her cybernetic arm. She picked the laptop back up and ran to her quarters.

"I need to ask you a favor," she said breathlessly.

"What favor can I possibly do for you?"

"I promised when I told you about what my uncle did to you, I would never show any part of that video without your permission. Well, I need your permission to show the portion of the video with my Uncle Al in it to the rest of the guys."

"For what purpose?"

"I need everyone to see what my uncle's condition is supposed to be."

"Supposed to be?" he parroted.

"Yes. I promise to cut the audio and just use a still if that will help. But it's really, really important. You know I wouldn't ask unless it was."

Megatron sized up the girl for a moment. Coming to a decision, he nodded. "You may use a still, with no audio."

"Thank you," she sighed her relief. "Now, I need your advice; I got some video from a friend still attached to my uncle's work. It involves all of you, including the Autobots. It's only fair I should share it with all of you, but I know if I wait 'til they get here, they will not want you Deceptacons to know. So, should I wait anyway and let them know I'm in charge of my own information, or should I show the rest of you guys now, and then play catch up with them?"

"You have me curious girl, and I don't like being made to wait. Show us now and then, if you feel you must, show the Autobots."

"That's what I was planning on doing. But now, I can blame it on you," she grinned devilishly.

Megatron chuckled.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Checking the work room, Ellie retrieved Que from his dock attached to robotic arms. Not having the dexterity to carry his holo-preserver, and the laptop and Megatron and the port adapter, she placed them all on a cart and pulled them along 'til she met Livewire coming through the lab to retrieve Que.

"Did you get Shockwave and the rest docked into the arena?" she asked.

"In process," he answered.

"What's the big hoopla about?" he asked.

"Something very scary that answers a lot of questions, and asks even more scary questions."

"Is that all I'm going to get?"

"That's it."

Livewire mumbled about his spark as he took the cart with Que and Megatron on it to the arena.

Ellie scooped up her laptop and set up the adapter at one of the external arena ports.

The holographic images chattered excitedly among themselves. This was the first time their captor ever seemed so frightened and excitable, they said to each other. They speculated about what was happening.

Seeing that they were all locked in to their respective docks, Ellie walked out into the center of the arena. Instantly, the entire assembly quieted.

"Everyone. I know this is unusual for me to bring you all together like this, but I can assure you it is for a very good reason.

"As many of you have been told already, I was used as an experiment by my uncle from the ages of three 'til seven. Then, being held in the same facility as Megatron when he was in chryo-stasis, I managed to escape with the help of a few friends when he did."

Ellie stopped to take a breath and gauge the reaction of the images. Most seemed just as confused now as when she first started.

"A couple of the friends who helped me get out are still attached to my uncle's work, and were able to send me a video that you all need to see."

She walked out of the arena and up the steps to where her laptop was sitting at the ready. Turning it on, she began to explain the back story so they would understand why she was so upset.

"This is my uncle, Doctor Alistair Carlisle," she said when the image appeared as a hologram in the center of the arena. "He is in the wheelchair because he was in an accident that broke vertebrae t-five when he was nineteen years old," she explained as the image dissolved to the anatomical depiction of the human spine.

"A break at this location will result in the victim being paralyzed from the chest down, leaving them without the fine motor control to work their fingers, and a greater chance of developing problems with their lungs," she continued.

"Once the spinal column has been damaged, it is irreparable. That means he was confined to his wheelchair for the rest of his life.

"This is a still of the video I just received," Ellie reported as the image solidified. The picture was clear; her uncle was standing with the aid of a single cane, and using it to point to something off camera.

The arena remained silent, fascinated by what she was telling them.

"The reason you should all be concerned about this, is because he has been using your technology to repair his back. Just as he used your technology to repair me, he is continuing to use your bodies to repair himself, and others like us."

With that, Ellie played the video from the beginning. In it, the holograms all saw the bodies of the Autobots being maneuvered into bays to be examined, mutilated, disassembled, reassembled and harvested. Some of the bays had their own bodies in them already, and in various stages of disassembly. There was one table that had a number of their disembodied heads on it, the optics either removed, or in the process.

Ellie ended the video to the murmurs of the sparks. To the surprise of all, Shockwave appeared in the center of the arena.

"Listen to me," he stated. The arena instantly quieted.

"I am a scientist. I have never known any other way of being. Today, I now know I've become a subject as well. This is something I never considered. I do not like the knowledge.

"As a scientist, I can tell you how this affects us; without the majority of our primary systems intact, we cannot be restored to our bodies. Our sparks may continue to function, and, thanks to these holo-preservers, we may continue to be self-aware, but, we will be incapable of having new bodies to inhabit as well. We may be able to survive for a while, however, eventually, we will all cease to function.

"We must get our bodies back if we want to live again!" Shockwave finished.

Ellie went back to the arena to stand beside Shockwave's massive holo-image. "That's why I need your help. We, all of us, need to figure out a way to get your bodies back. First, though, we need to know what whoever goes in there will be facing. I received more information regarding that issue. It is how the technology he is stealing from you is being used.

"He has nine numbered divisions that have multiple implants, like myself. Then, he has named divisions that are grouped according to whichever single implant they have. But, there are two new divisions: the Lazarus division, and the Phoenix division.

"I'm not sure what either of those divisions are supposed to represent. I know that Lazarus is a character from the bible that was raised from the dead. And the Phoenix was a mythical bird who rose from the ashes of his apparent death every morning.

"As of right now, there are only five people assigned to the Lazarus division, and two assigned to Phoenix."

"What are the names of some of the other divisions?" Shockwave asked.

Ellie closed her eye and brought up the files in her mind. "Deadeyes are the snipers and external guards. They have optics. Total assigned are twenty-four. Vulcans are the espionage contingent. They have audials. Total assigned are six. Following are not specialized according to duties; Bears have arms, Things have hands, Kangaroos have legs, Rabbits have feet and Boas are spinal cords. Total number of personnel engaged by these forces, including numbered divisions; six hundred forty-seven current active members. Eight members are listed for extermination. Twenty-three new members are scheduled for enrollment within the next thirteen days. All information current as of twenty-six hours ago."

She opened her eyes and looked at Shockwave. He was staring at her with a faraway look in his optic as he considered the information.

Feeling the tell-tale crackle of electricity behind her, she glanced back to see Boomer's holo-image solidify. Briefly looking at her strangely, he raised his optics to the other.

"I'm assuming you mean the reptile vertebrate instead of the feathery garment," he addressed her as he kept his sensors locked on the scientist.

Temporarily confused by the apparent show-down between the two, it took a moment for Ellie to realize what he was asking. "Huh? Oh! Yeah, right."

Clearly oblivious to the mounting tension surrounding him, Shockwave visibly shook himself out of his reverie and addressed her directly. "Re-animation and Exoskeletal replacement."

"What?" her face visibly paled. She really hoped he wasn't just confirming her worst fears.

"The Lazarus mythos depicts the re-animation of a corpse, for all intents and purposes. The Phoenix mythos describes the replacement of the external physical presence of the character.

"Given the doctor's penchant for naming his divisions for the feature he replaced, it makes sense."

"I really hope you're wrong," she said as she instinctively retreated closer to Soundwave's holo-image.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Soundwave, her Boomer, barely twitched his hand in response to the automatic urge to protect the girl. For all the enemies Megatron had, he knew he had twenty-times as many. Any display of emotional attachment to the girl would sign her death warrant. He would sacrifice himself before he would let any of them even fathom the idea of hurting her.

Unfortunately, "barely" a twitch was not the same as no reaction. Someone saw it. He just hoped that whoever it was turned out to be on her side.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

From his dock at the top of the arena, Sentinel Prime watched the whole scene play out below him. Megatron, docked beside him still in the pathetic teddy bear body, clenched his fist, but remained silent when Shockwave interrupted.

It was a total surprise to him when Soundwave materialized at the child's back. It must have been just as much of a surprise to the spymaster's minions, given how quickly they looked back to see if he was still in the holo-imaging device. Then, when he had to keep himself from reaching out to the girl when she sought his comfort, the action was telling.

"Interesting," he thought. Very interesting indeed.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen:

"Ratchet, Hound and Sideswipe will accompany me to this meeting," Optimus was saying to the assembled group. Bumblebee made a loud whistling sound.

"What is it Bumblebee?" Optimus asked.

"I'm coming," he spliced.

"No. You need to report back to the base and find out why we're being given the run around about the others' bodies."

Bumblebee placed a hand on the leaders forearm. He looked his leader in the optic and tried to show the absolute desperation he felt about this. "Please. I have to come," he quietly spliced.

Optimus looked at his soldier's optics and felt himself soften. This was out of character for the young soldier. Bumblebee never begged to go to meetings like this. He was momentarily concerned for the 'bot. Perhaps it would be best to bring him along so he could keep an optic on him. Besides, what difference would it make if he took Bumblebee with him this trip or next? He knew there would be a next time.

"Alright. Ratchet, Hound and Sideswipe will accompany me to this meeting," he raised a hand to Bumblebee. "Hot Rod, Wheelie and Bumblebee will wait at the fall back location in case something goes wrong. After we meet with this girl, we will rendezvous either at the fallback or on the way to this lair, depending on how this meeting goes.

"Ratchet, what's the status on Ironhide's body?"

"It'll work for the short term, but I don't think it'll last all that long."

"How long is that?"

"About ten to fifteen years," he answered dejectedly.

"And that's bad?" Bumblebee had to ask.

"Of course! We live for thousands to tens of thousands of Earth years at least! This body is only good for a matter of a few."

"It'll work 'til we can get my body back and repaired," Ironhide answered on his own behalf as he walked down from the clean area. His new body was only about six foot tall and couldn't transform. He also didn't have any weapons, but he was up and about and aware. And, if he needed to, he could fit into human clothes to go undercover.

He would never admit that the few times he saw Jukes wearing his human clothes, he was jealous the 'bot could directly interact with humans on a more familiar scale. That was the one thing he wished about this planet, the populace knew about his kind. He wished he didn't have to always be in his alt form when in public.

"Okay, fine," Optimus got back on point.

"You'll ride with me. Jazz and the femmes will ride with Hound.

"Dino, I need you to go back to the D.C. base and find out what the holdup is about getting our bodies back. Take Brains with you. If they are either unwilling or unable to give you a straight answer, Brains can hack into their system and get it for us."

He looked around at his assembled group and felt his spark swelling with pride. These were his soldiers, they were all tired of fighting an endless war, but they hadn't let it destroy their personalities. He was relieved about that.

"Now, those of you with Hound's unit, this is your own personal base. Keep it secure.

"Everyone has their orders. Autobots! Let's roll!"

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

The spidrobots fanned out according to Clyde's instructions. Weaver assumed her alt form of a radio controlled helicopter and took off to scout the area. A quick visual scan revealed nothing obvious, but her thermal scan showed three, four-man teams hiding out deep in the woods. She transmitted the information to the others and landed near the road. The spidrobots met up and deployed, easily gaining hiding spaces close enough to the teams to dispatch them when it was closer to the meeting time.

Soto and Mike arrived first, the small picnic shelter providing the ideal spot to assume their alt forms and wait for any further attempted ambushes. Clyde 'bot formed and approached the gate. It was locked, so he waited until he heard engines approach up the road. Quickly, he hid behind a stand of trees and watched to see if they were the medic and his crew or workers at the facility. The first vehicle he saw had an Energon signature. His alt form was that of a state patrol car. He approached the gate and 'bot formed, checking to see if it was locked. When it proved to be, he jumped the fence and went up into the facility.

"Mike, Energon signature just jumped the fence. Alt form of state trooper. Find out where he is going and whose side he's on," Clyde radioed.

Mike sent back the acknowledgement code and 'bot formed so he could climb over the fence. Quickly, he jumped down and ran to the knoll over the road the 'bot would have to take. He saw the mech slowly pass through the security check, abandoned for the winter, and continue past the office building 'til he was out of sight. Moving from his position, he shadowed the 'bot around the facility, maintaining a jamming field around himself to keep the 'bot's standard scans from spotting him. The car rolled behind the event center near the top of the hill when Mike lost him. After waiting a few moments for the 'bot to come around to the other side, the little microwave became nervous. What was he doing over there?

"Mike, status of 'bot," Clyde ordered.

"He's on the other side of the event center building. He hasn't rolled through. I can't move my position without exposing myself."

"Do you have optics on him?"

"Negative. He's out of view."

"Soto, can you move your position to get optics on unknown?"

"Affirmative," Soto replied.

A few seconds later, Soto radioed back, "Trooper is not behind the building. Not on the track. Trooper located. He's jumped the fence again and is on the other side of the hill behind us.

"Instructions?" Soto asked.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Prowl was stalking up on the position of the 'bot when he picked up the signature of another, larger 'bot. Dismissing the smaller of the two as the lesser threat, he 'bot formed and jumped the fence to the track. Making sure to keep his form below the hillcrest, he snuck on two legs to the lowest point of the property in front of him. He easily jumped the fence and flattened himself into the ground. He kept his scanners glued to the threat in front of him and behind the building as he became motionless and waited for confirmation that he hadn't been detected. When they both didn't move, he radioed back to Optimus.

"Confirmed two 'bots here. Wait to see if anyone else shows up or engage?" he asked.

"Wait for the moment. This girl has been relatively honest with us so far. I don't think they're there to ambush us.

"Keep me posted."

"Ten-four," he responded. He had picked up the human law enforcement lingo some time ago.

He was intent on his targets, and never even realized there was another 'bot behind him until he heard him speak.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Clyde ordered both 'bots to maintain their positions and jumped the fence himself. He kept to his bipedal form to keep his approach somewhat silent. As stealthily as he could, he made the same circuit the trooper started to make, but then jumped the fence further down the property where it circled back around, making it less likely the 'bot would hear him land. Then, it was a matter of stepping over the fence behind him and sneaking up.

"Would you care to explain why you are attempting to ambush us?" Clyde asked the newcomer.

The 'bot spun around and brought his weapon to bear.

"Relax. If I wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead." He never bothered to arm as a show of confidence.

Soto and Mike hurried up and were not so civil.

The newcomer uneasily shifted as he swung his weapon around to target the other two. Clyde easily grabbed the gun and held it in the 'bot's hand. The markings on his helm were those of Jazz and his friends, so he never tried to disarm him.

"Will you put that thing away before you make my friends nervous?" Clyde asked as he let the 'bot keep his gun when he removed his hand.

Looking at his companions, he pointed out the newcomer's signs.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Prowl was completely embarrassed; how could he have possibly allowed this 'bot to get the drop on him? He was a professional for Primus' sake! Still, the 'bot didn't take his weapon. So, either these guys were on the up and up, or else they were just really stupid. And what was that he was saying about an ambush?

"I'm the first one to arrive. I was here to make certain this wasn't a Deceptacon trick."

"That is one of the reasons we didn't kill you; we deduced you would come to that conclusion, so we decided to come early and make certain this would be an undisturbed meeting. Unfortunately, it appears that it will not be quite so quiet."

"What? Why?"

The largest 'bot tapped his ear to activate his radio link. "Bring them down now. Report back when complete.

"If you will wait for a few moments, I'll show you." The 'bot cocked his head as if listening to something. "Very good. We'll be there in a few," he answered his radio link.

"Come with me," he stated as he turned his back to him and led the way into the woods. After about twenty yards, they came to the first group of unmarked soldiers. "Do you know these guys?" he was asked.

Prowl shook his head. "No. Who are they?"

The 'bot toed one over with his foot and saw the metallic glinting from his cybernetic hand and eye.

"What is this?" he was dumbfounded.

"Just as I was afraid," the big 'bot stated, the concern evident on his face.

Prowl knelt beside the soldiers and ran his forensic scanner over them. How could this be? Maybe he needed to have the darn thing recalibrated, because this could not be right.

"What it say?" the middle sized 'bot asked.

"What it says doesn't make any sense.

"It says they are biological life forms with Cybertronian signatures. And the particular Cybertronian signature belongs to Megatron."

The smallest 'bot started jumping around excitedly, "It's them! They found her! I knew it! We have to move. Now! We have to hurry and slag this whole meeting, we don't have time to waste!" he worried in his chattering language.

"Calm down Mike," the largest 'bot addressed the smallest.

"Soto," the largest addressed the other 'bot. "Contact the lair. Let them know we are sending them photos of unidentified soldiers. Consider us hot as of now."

A small 'bot Prowl hadn't noticed before tapped on the hood of the jeep to get their attention. He saw him trying to wipe some sort of mud off a symbol painted along the side lip. The little 'bot, Mike, quickly rushed to help. After a few seconds of rubbing, there was a simple number one inside a stylized "C."

"Get a picture of this too," the large 'bot said.

"You might want to let your medic and leader know about this," he said.

"As soon as you said there was an ambush being set up by soldiers, I contacted Optimus. He and the others are on their way. They should be here inside of twenty minutes,"

"I just hope the gas lasts that long," he said.

"So do I," Prowl thought.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Optimus and his team had just arrived at the backup location when Prowl radioed him.

"Go ahead Prowl," Optimus answered.

"Sir, there's a problem here. We need to move up the meeting. How soon can you be at the coordinates?"

Optimus calculated through his GPS. "About twenty minutes."

"Then try to be here sooner. And suggest you consider this a stop 'n' go hot run," Prowl suggested.

"Understood," Optimus acknowledged.

"Change of plans," he radioed his team as he started his engine. "We all move out. There seems to have been a problem at the meeting site."

His team radioed their acknowledgments as they followed him to the coordinates.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Clyde looked at the last of the human see-ones, as he decided to call them. They had been placed inside of the back of one of their vehicles to keep them all warm given the temperature. Each one was also bound hand and feet thanks to the spidrobot's special weaving ability. Even with their Cybertronian limbs, it would take them a while to get out of those specially woven steel cords.

The spidrobots were perched in their favorite places on his person; Weaver on his right shoulder, Webber on his left and Webster on his helm. He sighed heavily about Webster, that 'bot was a total clown. He just hoped he didn't fall off his head and down his neck like he did last time. That tickled!

Carefully moving his head to try and not dislodge the 'bot, he looked up when he heard the sounds of engines roaring closer.

The trooper, Prowl, as he learned, was leading a semi-tractor trailer and several other 'bots up the fence line. He maintained his 'bot form, as did his friends. No need to pretend now. When they approached, they each transformed out of respect for the trust being given.

"You are the one called Clyde," the semi addressed him.

"Yes. Are you the one called Optimus Prime?"

The semi, Optimus, nodded. "We regret we must meet under such unpleasant circumstances," he said.

"Thank you," Clyde answered.

"I was hoping to be able to vet you a little better before I decided whether or not to take you to Ellie. But given these guys," he motioned with his thumb back at the truck, "I don't think there's quite enough time."

At the mention of the humans, Optimus looked over Clyde's shoulder. "May I?" he asked.

Clyde nodded and Optimus went to look in the back of the truck. "Are these all of them?"

"We found three, four-man teams on thermals. Weaver," he said motioning to his right shoulder, "just re-scouted the area in her remote control helicopter form. She didn't find anything human in the immediate vicinity. That isn't to say there aren't more backup teams near here waiting to take over for them though."

"Agreed.

"Ratchet, do you want to take a look at these humans to make sure they aren't in any distress?"

"Sure, Optimus." Ratchet walked over and ran his medi-scan over each of the men.

"Um. These guys are all fine, I think."

"You think?" clarified Optimus.

"Yes. They each have at least two cybernetic implants each. And they have the same Cybertronian signature."

"Whose?" Optimus felt his spark sink.

"Megatron."


	15. Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen:

Optimus didn't particularly like this trip. Even when he used a satellite connection, his radio link was spotty at best. Of course, according to Ratchet, that may very well have been what kept the girl alive so long.

"Transmitting vector to first coordinates," Clyde notified them. "Be aware, missing these vectors by more than five degrees will fry even the most protected Cybertronian circuitry."

The data burst came through and was quickly disseminated among the team. Optimus just hoped the last few members in the line were able to download it before they went through another dead zone. Even if they didn't, Clyde informed him the other members of his team knew the coordinates and the dangers.

As they approached the first coordinates, his guide sent another vector and coordinates. He made the turn and noticed his trailer was just point five degrees off and felt a jolt of electricity through his chassis.

"Halt!" he called to his team.

Immediately, the entire procession stopped and Clyde and Ratchet each assumed their bipedal form to come back and check on him.

"What happened?" Ratchet asked.

"He wasn't kidding when he warned about missing the vector. Think I hit a magnetic boundary with my trailer. It felt like an EMP burst through my rear chassis," he related to his medic.

"Let me check to see what I can do," he said as he hurried toward his leader's rear axle.

After a few minutes, the medic returned. "I was able to keep your axles from freezing up, but I don't know what happened inside your trailer. We're just going to have to see about that when we get to wherever it is we're going."

"How much farther?" Optimus asked the guide.

"Three more turns and nine hundred fifteen feet total.

"This next turn is a one hundred sixty degree angle, but, it is also a larger pocket, so you have a little more wiggle room. When I give you these next coordinates, you will have a fifty-two yard pocket to work with. Just remember these coordinates are the exact center of the pocket.

"Now, are you alright to continue?"

"Yes. I think so. Let's roll," he answered.

They slowly made their way through the magnetic anomaly without any further incident. The chatter among the team, when Optimus paid attention, appeared to be of growing awe and respect for the girl's ingenuity. How did she find this place? Was this magnetic wall a natural occurrence, or did she somehow manufacture it?

Finally, they were approaching what appeared to be a shallow cave at the base of a large hill. The topography of the region indicated the land feature was less than three hundred feet short of an official mountain. Standing at its entrance was a small 'bot no more than seven feet tall.

"Why that slag sucking aft residue!" Sideswipe said when he registered the greeter.

"Sideswipe! That's hardly polite language about one of our hosts," Optimus chastised.

"That's the 'bot that she was with Optimus. I'm sure of it."

"Still, mind your manners. We're guests here."

The procession slowly made their way into the shallow cave, hesitating briefly when Clyde, then Ratchet drove straight through the back and into a huge cavern easily one hundred feet high.

"That's one kick ass hologram!" Hound exclaimed in his southern twang. "How did they get it to register as solid?"

"Perhaps she will enlighten you when she shows us how she saved Jazz and the others," Hot Rod offered.

Once inside the cavern, Clyde transformed and stood aside to let the others do so as well.

"Is this everyone Clyde?" the greeter called.

"Yes. You can let the field up now.

"Optimus Prime, Autobots, welcome to the lair," he said with obvious pride.

"This is our receiving area," he began to gesture. "To your right is the main work area and monitoring stations. The 'bot at the entrance is Jukes. He's Ellie's personal protector and our tactical advisor. I believe you all know Bonecrusher," he indicated a bipedal form with tracks for feet that was coming from another chamber further in to turn into the main work area.

"I am Livewire," said a spindly 'bot no more than five feet tall following Bonecrusher. "I am Ellie's medi-tech. Now which of you is the medical officer?" he asked of the assembled group.

"That would be me," indicated Ratchet.

"I must talk to you about our patient.

"Everyone else, Ellie is giving a briefing to the rest of the 'bots in the arena you would be interested in. Clyde will show you where it is," he said as he turned to the CMO.

A young female's voice lured the team further into the next chamber. Toward the center, there was a large, metal structure that reminded Optimus Prime of the pits where he once watched Megatron fight in his gladiatorial contests. "He is in the wheelchair . . ." she was saying as she deftly operated the laptop which controlled a holographic presentation in the center of the arena.

Optimus and the others stopped and watched the briefing as their sparks began to sink within their chests.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"You are called Ratchet?" asked Livewire of the larger green 'bot.

"I am.

"Tell me, why do you feel the need to pull me aside before I get the chance to see the patient?" he was curious.

"I must admit to you my failings.

"I was created as a medi-tech with an in depth knowledge of human physiology. I can diagnose and treat most human maladies, including perform numerous kinds of surgeries, both intricate and common. However, the one area I am not well versed in is Cybertronian physiology. Unfortunately, that is the reason for your visit," he said as he led the medic to his clinic.

Ratchet looked around at the space. It was small, but well lit; veins of quartz snaking throughout brought the daylight inside from every direction. He could see it was primarily designed to address human complaints instead of 'bot sized issues. He could fit, but he doubted there'd be much room for anyone else, especially Optimus or any of the other larger mechs.

"Yes. I saw that blasted video," Ratchet said as he literally shuddered. "I saw several reasons the girl would be in dire straits. It was obvious that whoever tried to marry our technology to the human body did not know what they were doing."

"Those were not the only surgeries performed on the girl. I was in the operating room for most and recorded every step. I decided not to divulge to her all aspects of every surgery given her age. I have also been keeping a detailed account of her symptoms, both physical and psychological, as well as the treatments I performed."

"I would like to see those if you don't mind."

Without a word, Livewire sent a large data burst to the larger 'bot whose optics dimmed when he received and opened it.

"By the Allspark!" he exclaimed as he assimilated the data. "How is she still alive?"

"Ellie is one stubborn little human," Livewire answered in a matter of fact way.

"Now, do you have any idea as to the source of some of these psychological symptoms?" he wanted to know.

"I can extrapolate some, most directly is her phobia of medical facilities.

"Her uncle kept her in a cell that resembled a hospital room. Now, even if I bring her in here for something as simple as an inoculation, she has a panic attack by the time I'm finished. I have found it easier on her to perform what procedures I can in her room."

"May I see her room?" asked Ratchet. If he was going to have to do a good deal of his work here, he wanted to make sure it would suffice.

Livewire led the medic to the alcove off the main work room that had a sturdy curtain in front of it.

"This simply won't do. We will need much more light if I am going properly examine her and develop a treatment. Is there somewhere else we can use?"

"Perhaps the lab?" Livewire suggested as he led the way to another room on the same side as his clinic.

Ratchet looked in wonder at the large area. Like Livewire's clinic, this area was shot through with veins of quartz that allowed the sunshine in. It was easily large enough to fit two 'bots of Optimus stature laying prone, head to toe. It was also at least eighty feet high. What really clinched it was the generator sitting on the opposite side of the space. With that, he knew, he would be able to bring in any sort of equipment he could possibly need.

"This is perfect. What is it used for?" he asked as he curiously inspected a work table with several electrical components on it.

"The work table you are inspecting is where Ellie developed and builds her holo-preservers. The apparatus to the left is the matrix collector," he said as he identified a machine that looked much like a giant microscope with a metal box where the slide table would be.

"For the most part, this is where Ellie does her research. She also built those machines along the other side of the wall for Que and Shockwave to help her with her research and perform their own," Livewire added.

"She lets Shockwave and Que do their own work?" Ratchet asked incredulously.

"Of course. Her philosophy is that if they are made to feel like they're a part of something, then they won't be conspiring against her. That is also why she built the arena and brought in the television."

"Shockwave is a mad scientist and Que is a total klutz!" Ratchet exclaimed, still trying to get over the fact the girl would trust her prisoners.

"Why do you think she has them here? She makes certain they don't have access to anything dangerous."

"But, isn't she their captor?" he asked, still confused.

"Ellie? A captor?" Livewire asked in disbelief just before he burst out laughing.

"Seriously?

"No, she has absolutely no desire to take sides in any altercation except her own freedom. She views herself as a Florence Nightingale and the lair as neutral ground in your conflict," the smaller medi-tech explained in between chuckles.

"I have got to meet this child," Ratchet declared.


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**A/N:** _Next couple of chapters will give a bigger glimpse of Ellie's lair. Sorry if it is a bit dry to read. _VVVVVBREAKVVVVV _indicates change in POV. Formatting updated as of __6/26__/12_

Chapter Fifteen:

Optimus and his Autobots watched the briefing from the entrance to the receiving chamber. They easily towered over the holographic images and had no trouble seeing into the arena.

"Well, that's why we couldn't get Jazz's and the other's bodies back," Hot Rod said over their internal radio link.

"So it would appear," he had to agree.

"I hope you're wrong," the girl was finishing as she stepped closer to the hologram of Soundwave.

If Optimus didn't know any better, he would have sworn that he saw the spymaster flinch in an almost protective posture toward the girl.

"It makes sense child," Optimus addressed the girl as he approached the arena.

She gasped as she looked up into his optics, retreating again toward Soundwave.

"Who are you?" she asked bravely.

Soundwave and Shockwave flicked out of the arena and reappeared in blank spaces over their holo-preservers.

"I am Optimus Prime. Would you be Urielle Guardian?"

She visibly flinched. "I go by Ellie. Only my dad and grandmother ever called me 'Urielle,'" she stated.

"Then I will call you Ellie as well.

"Tell me," he began.

"Ironhide!" Ellie exclaimed happily when she saw his new form appear over the top of the arena.

Without a second thought, she ran up the closest steps and jumped into the waiting arms of the mech.

"Oh Ellie! My girl, I have worried about you. Let me look at you," he said as he set her back on her feet and stepped back to look at her. "I do believe you have matured a bit," he stated.

Her face blushed hotly as she looked curiously around at the rest of the newcomers. Remembering her manners, she stepped up to Ironhide's frame and looped her good arm around his waist as she faced Optimus.

"I'm sorry. I was just so glad to see Ironhide that I interrupted you. You were saying?" she asked politely.

"Yes. Well, I was about to ask you if you routinely briefed your prisoners on such potentially sensitive information," he asked

"What prisoners?" she asked in all innocence.

"Are these beings here not all your prisoners?" he asked gesturing toward the holograms.

Ellie looked around in utter confusion. "I don't have any prisoners. These guys are here because their bodies were destroyed somehow. I just brought them here with my technology and put them in these holo-preservers to save their lives. I had every intention of making new bodies for them, until I found out it would cause them more harm than the preservers did."

"What harm does it do to put them in other bodies?" a new mech wanted to know as he approached with Livewire.

"Well, I discovered the hard way that each essence matrix is unique to the body it was housed in. You see their DNA is incompatible, and if you try and put them into another body, or a general body design, well, bad things start to happen. Not the least of which is grounding problems, personality blips and general lack of coordination," she informed. "It's kind of like trying to perform a brain transplant on a human. Not only are there too many connections to connect, but the brain-blood barrier would attack the alien brain.

"The only thing you can really do is have somewhat unique bodies for each matrix. That's why I had to take Ironhide's body with me for you to house him in. I was afraid that his real body might be too damaged to repair," she finished.

Finally, a commotion behind the others involving Mike and another small 'bot caught her attention; the new 'bot looked like he was riding Mike and trying to keep him quiet. Mike, an unusually scrappy little fellow, was eventually able to flip the other off and ran toward her.

"Uncle Al!" he was screaming as he hurried toward her. "Uncle Al!" Then he dissolved into his chattering language.

"What does he mean, 'Uncle Al'?" Ellie asked of Clyde.

"I'm sorry Ellie. We informed Jukes, but maybe he didn't think it was an imminent threat."

"What threat?" she demanded. "What happened?"

"We found three four-man teams when we went to scout for the meeting. We were able to dispatch them, so it's unlikely anyone will realize you're near here.

"We were able to get pictures of them and of the logo on the vehicles they were driving," he said as Weaver displayed the recording she took.

"Oh crap! Oh no, no, no," she kept repeating.

"What's wrong?" asked Optimus Prime.

"That is the first numbered unit of my uncle's private military. They're his personal elite guard. Their primary focus is to find and return me," she said as the color drained from her face.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Bumblebee couldn't stand to see the girl so upset. Before he even realized what he was doing, he plucked her from Ironhide's side and lifted her to face him eye to optic. There was no radio signal within the lair, so he couldn't splice together what he wanted her to know, and, of course, his vocal processors were out again, so he just looked at her.

"I would rip my own spark from my chest and hand it to Unicron himself if that is what it would cost to keep you safe," he thought. "I know what it is like to feel alone and afraid and under a microscope, please, know you are safe with me. Please! Know I would die for you," he begged from his spark.

Slowly, the color returned to her face and her heart began to slow to a more normal rhythm. She stared at the yellow 'bot and just couldn't look away. In that moment, something passed between them.

"They held you too," it was a statement.

His optics closed briefly and he inclined his head.

In confusion she looked at Optimus Prime and asked him, "Why would he want to give Unicron his spark to save me?"

Bumblebee's optics got large and he reacted as if he had been hit in the face as he looked to his leader.

"I have no idea Ellie. Why would you ask me that?" Optimus was curious.

"Didn't you hear him? That's what he said before he asked me to trust him," she answered in confusion as she began to rub at her left shoulder.

Optimus watched his scout who nodded emphatically before he gently put the girl down. "Perhaps, he feels a kinship with you and wants you to know how far he is willing to go," he reasoned.

The fact the girl seemed able to hear his scout's thoughts was also quite curious.

"Uncle Al!" Mike chattered as he tugged at her pant leg.

"Right," Ellie said when she pulled her attention from the yellow 'bot.

"Jazzy?" she asked of the image Hound held in his hand.

"Bumblebee, Sideswipe and Prowl," he answered as he pointed to each in turn. They had been together so long he knew what she was asking.

Ellie nodded once then gathered herself together and started giving out orders. "I assume you are Ratchet?" she asked of the 'bot beside Livewire. When he nodded, she continued, "You and Livewire can put Jazz and the femmes back in their stop-gap bodies.

"Mike, I need you to relieve Jukes at the entrance. Report any communications to Boney and Jazzy.

"Clyde, Soto and Jukes will be on the defenses. Ironhide, you can coordinate them with whatever defenses you can come up with.

"Bumblebee, Sideswipe and Prowl, if your boss doesn't mind, you can pair up with my guys," she stated as she began to walk further into the cavern past the arena.

"I'm assuming the rest of you are somewhat curious as to what defenses have been set up. If so, you probably should follow me," she called over her shoulder.

The assembled Autobots looked at each other, then Optimus in confusion.

"By all means," he answered in amusement. It wasn't often he didn't have to be in charge of his troops. In fact, he even found it oddly comforting to be on the receiving end of orders for a change.

As a group, they quickly caught up to her as she made a right out of the chamber and began to ascend a large rock shelf.

"Since we are sitting smack dab in the middle of a magnetic anomaly," she was saying when they caught up to her, "We were able to tap in to it and focus it to form an electromagnetic wave front that will fry anything, or anyone for that matter, with any electronic components."

"How can you tap in to a magnetic field?" Hot Rod was curious.

"Lodestone. Besides granite, this entire hill is composed of lodestone as well. I just found a way to utilize its natural magnetic properties to shift the natural magnetic properties of the field in whatever way I need to, within reason, of course," she answered honestly.

They approached a smaller chamber that had several paths leading off it.

"We are near the exact center of the top of the hill," she started. The filtered sunlight from the ever present quartz veins made the area appear as if it was out in the open. "That path leads to position ten five," she pointed. "This one leads to position six, and I'll take you up to one five to show you how the apparatus works."

Bumblebee gently placed a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. When she looked back at him, he cocked his head and seemed to be asking something, although no one could hear.

"It's sort of like you're looking at the face of a clock," she answered as if he had asked his question aloud. "Position twelve is the entrance, position six is directly opposite and the rest are the numbers. One five is if you were half way between numbers one and two and ten five is half way between ten and eleven.

"Is that what you wanted to know?" she asked.

His optics got as large as they could get and he eagerly nodded. Bumblebee felt his circuits buzzing in joy. He didn't know how it was happening, but this little girl could hear what he wanted to vocalize, but rarely could.

She led them up to the position. It looked like a large stone balcony with a small outcropping to the rear where the panel was. Large trees towered above the emplacement, effectively hiding it from both planes and satellites. Once there, they found Clyde already standing by a panel behind what appeared to be a concave shaped stone.

"Okay, um, Sideswipe, you can pair up with Clyde here.

"The controls are relatively easy to operate, kind of like a joystick for a video game. The large lever on the left of the base of the panel is the off – on switch, it provides an electric connection between the shocker and the field," she indicated a wooden lever that could be operated with a 'bot's foot. "The lever to the right on the top of the panel adjusts height. The concave stone is, in fact, carved lodestone, so, whatever you do, don't go in front of it. In fact, try not to go too close to it at all. It is the most powerful magnet on Earth," she finished.

"What is the coverage area of each shocker?" Ironhide wanted to know.

Ellie slipped a device over her left ear that looked much like a hearing aid with a small fiber optic wire sticking out from under her lobe. She flinched when it snapped in place and then paused for a second as if in thought.

The fiber optic began to flicker, then a holograph appeared in front of her about two feet. She showed the representation of the hill as if she was looking straight down at it and indicated the emplacements with red circles.

"As you can see, each shocker disc is nine foot in diameter. The area of coverage is nine foot right here, to over nine hundred feet by the time it reaches the field. By that time, it has overlapped the other two shocker fields by over eighty feet on each side when stationary."

She turned off the hologram and quickly pulled it off her ear, flinching when it clicked free.

"When did you come up with that one?" Ironhide wanted to know.

"A couple weeks ago," she confessed.

"It's painful to use for you, isn't it?"

She shrugged.

"So Clyde," she addressed her friend who was busily showing the new 'bot the controls.

"Yes?"

"Did Soto and Jukes take their usual positions?"

"Yes they did Ellie," he confirmed as he turned back to Sideswipe.

"Okay then, Prowl, you go to position six and meet up with Soto. Bumblebee, I'll take you to meet up with Jukes at ten five. I'm sure Ironhide and the rest of you would like to explore the rest of the paths leading off the split. They all lead outside if that will help you figure out any other defenses," she said as she led them back down into the junction chamber.

Without a word, Optimus followed her and his scout to the other position.


	17. Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen:

"Seriously, do I look like a damsel in distress?" Ellie was asking Optimus Prime on their way to the main chamber.

"Well, yes. You do appear to fit the part," he answered with some amusement.

She seemed to be upset about Bumblebee picking her up at the defense position and shaking his finger at her. When he asked her what his soldier had said, she huffed out he was telling her he would care for her and she needed to let Ratchet look at her.

It was amazing. Every time the girl and his scout looked at each other, they seemed to just . . . click.

"Well I'm not. I just need some help right now," she groused.

Optimus chuckled.

"So, Megatron calls you a librarian," she changed the subject. "Is that true?"

Optimus was thoughtful as he looked at the girl. "To a certain extent." He wondered what else his old friend had shared with the girl about their pre-war relationship.

"So, you like reading then, right?"

"Yes. Reading is a vital part of history," he wondered where she was going with this line of questioning.

"Do you mind if we make a detour before we meet up with Livewire and your Ratchet?"

"What for?"

"Cause, there's something my family has been waiting to give to you for generations. An' I really would like to have it taken care of now while I still remember about it," she informed him.

"Me?"

"Yeah. 'Learn'ed prime from far away, granted the gift of family's sway,' I think is how it goes," she quoted.

"How what goes?" he was curious.

"The nursery rhyme. My dad and grandma would always tell me the same ones over and over every night until they weren't there to tell them anymore."

"Yes. Perhaps we should take this detour," something from this whole scenario was tickling at his processors. Something he once downloaded from the 'net, but archived so long ago, he was going to have a difficult time finding it.

He followed her down the main channel to the rock ledge just outside of the interior chamber. Just before it dove back in through the caves, there was what appeared to be a large outcropping looking out over a large cavern that was even bigger than Optimus could see entirely.

"Prime's vantage," she told him.

She led him further on and once to the bottom of the ramp, turned right and walked out to another rock ramp that followed along at a descent to the ramp they had just come down.

Eventually, they got to the bottom where a small spring sourced a brook. Eventually, it lead to a large body of water over five hundred yards across.

"This is heavy water, so I can't drink it or use it for anything more than experiments," she told him.

They followed the edge of the heavy water pond. Quartz veins were present throughout this chamber as well, but seemed to be diffused by stalactites. It gave the whole scene a peaceful, almost surreal quality, Optimus thought.

"It's peaceful here, but I'm gonna show you my favorite thinking place," she informed him.

Eventually, they came to a place that looked like it had been a fork in the path, the straight fork collapsed, leaving a path across a stone bridge. He noticed that he could have easily traversed the entire path so far in his alt mode and filed the information away for future use.

He followed his human companion over the bridge, identifying the sound of a waterfall beneath them. She barely seemed to notice and started picking up her pace as she made her way toward another spot on the other side of the pond.

When they arrived at her final destination, he stood and looked in awe at a magnificent waterfall. The light filtering in from the quartz created rainbows that danced in front of his optics. It was a beautiful, awe inspiring sight.

"Come on," she motioned to him as she disappeared up a path that led behind.

As he followed her, he realized he wasn't even wet, then turned the corner and stopped.

Like many waterfalls, this one also had a large cave carved out behind it. That was where the similarities stopped. This one appeared to have been carved out by hand, given the smoothness of the walls. He saw a flash of light from the girl as she lit a match and threw it into a crevasse on either side of the cave. The fire sprung to life and he detected the scent of kerosene, so he knew it would provide a good deal of heat after a while as well.

"Go ahead," she encouraged. "This is what my family has been waiting to give you forever."

As if he was being pulled by an invisible string, he stepped across the Cybertronian sized bridge and began to visually scan the space. That was when he found it had been engraved with writing, ancient Cybertronian writing.


	18. Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen:

Optimus stood and stared at the writings. Many of the symbols had not been seen in generations, and the few he could translate made little sense.

"There are grates made of different metals that go over the fire. When you put them across, it changes the color of the light and different writing comes out," she explained.

Mutely, he nodded. He stood in the very center of the cavern, easily one hundred feet high at the apex, and proceeded to download the entire space into his memory banks. This was something he was going to need time to work on.

"Where are those grates you were talking about?" he asked the girl distractedly.

"Right here," she pointed along the burning trenches.

Without asking for help, she reached down with her cybernetic arm, and slowly grasped the metal, then, bracing herself, used her legs and arm to lift the heavy piece across the flames. Slowly, as if it took a great deal of thought, she released the grate and stood back up, with her arm on fire.

"Ellie! You're on fire!" he exclaimed as he grabbed her and shoved her through the waterfall.

"Stop! I'm fine. Let me go! Please, I'm getting wet," she started yelling.

After making certain the child was no longer smoldering, he pulled her out of the waterfall and looked at her with a great deal of concern.

She glowered up at him through her sopping hair and blew the water out of her mouth. With her good hand, she pulled the hair away from her biological eye and glared at him accusingly. He made her lose her favorite sunglasses!

"What was that for?" she asked with some amount of indignation.

"You were on fire. Is it not logical to drown fire?" he asked in confusion.

"You drown the fire, not the person!" she declared.

"You did not drown."

"Not for a lack of trying!

"Really, I was fine; it was just my cybernetic arm. It's not like it hurts or anything."

"Still, the fire could have spread to your torso. I need to take you to Ratchet and have him make sure there was no other damage."

"But what about the writings?" she asked stubbornly.

"With your permission, I would like to come back here at a later time and study them much more carefully."

"I guess," she huffed.

"Let me show you how to put out the fire so you don't waste all the kerosene," she said as she began to wiggle to be let down.

"It does not require you catching yourself on fire again, does it?"

"Of course not.

"See those curb looking pieces on this side of the trenches? Well, you just toe them over. They're on a swivel," she pointed, giving up the idea of being released.

He did as she instructed and marveled at the ease with which they moved. She must come here often, he thought.

He scanned the writings in much more detail as he extinguished the flames, making certain they didn't change depending on the angle.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Optimus drove from the cave to the caverns used as her base in his alt form, his heaters running on high to try and dry the girl. He noticed she seemed to be excited as she looked around from his passenger's seat. He asked her about it.

"Yeah, well I've never been this high up before," she answered honestly. "It makes some of the things I see as humongous not seem so big anymore."

"Yes, sometimes a change in perspective can change one's viewpoint," he affirmed.

"So, I take it you and Megs knew each other before the war. Did you ever get to meet her?" she asked to change the subject.

"Her who?" he asked. Sometimes, he found the train of thought of this particular child quite illogical.

"Well, maybe I shouldn't have said anything. He told me about her last night when he thought I was sleeping. I just know that she died before he was even a gladiator."

"I did not meet Megatron, if that is who you meant, until after he was a gladiator. So I most likely never met anyone he knew before then."

"Too bad. From the way he was talking about her, I think he's still grieving for her.

"By the way, what are seeding cycles?"

Optimus stalled out as he missed a gear and swerved in surprise at the question. "What? Where in the universe did you ever hear about that subject?" he sputtered.

"Megs told me last night. Like I said, I think he thought I was asleep."

"Um, well, that has to do with Cybertronian biology. It is truly not a subject you need to concern yourself about," he tried to divert her.

"So, you're uncomfortable talking about it and I probably should ask your Ratchet, in other words. Right?" she confirmed with far too much wisdom for her age.

"Not that he's my Ratchet, but yes, he would be the best one to answer that particular question," he answered.

As Optimus started up again and rounded the bend toward the arena, he was met by the sound of Hot Rod and Wheelie laughing.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Megatron was standing on the recharge table in his plush form when the wrecker and turncoat drone walked in following the femme, Chromia.

". . . and this is where we put the occupied holo-preservers to recharge," she was saying as she led the pair in.

"What's the teddy bear doing on the recharge table?" Wheelie wanted to know.

"Because he needs to recharge too," she replied.

"Wait a second, you mean that's a 'bot?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes. That happens to be Megatron," she confirmed.

"This," Hot Rod asked as he picked him up," is Megatron?"

"Yes, you miserable piece of slag, I am Megatron! Release me at once," he ordered.

Hot Rod dropped Megatron back onto the table and began to laugh.

Wheelie, still in a state of shock, started to chuckle at Hot Rod's laughter. Then, as the enormity of what was happening began to sink in, he started to roar in mirth.

"Megatron!" he pointed and laughed even harder.

"Sheesh! Makes me wish they had lungs so they would stop already," Chromia muttered. She was familiar with Megatron's state and didn't find it all that amusing. After all, she really didn't want to be in the body of a plush toy herself.

"What's going on here?" Ellie asked in confusion as she watched the two writhing around on the floor.

"Hot Rod. Wheelie. What is so funny?" Optimus asked in his most authoritative voice.

Helplessly, they pointed to the recharge table and started laughing all over again.

"Ellie, what is the toy doing among all of those life saving devices?" he asked in curiosity. He had noticed it tethered to a docking port during the briefing, and was going to ask, before he got sidetracked.

"Intimidation," she answered simply.

"How would a stuffed toy intimidate anyone?"

"'Cause any of these guys give me too many problems for too long will get put into the body of a stuffed animal," she answered.

"That would be a humbling experience," he allowed.

"It seems to be working among the rest since I put Megatron in it," she confessed.

He looked at the small girl, then at the toy and back again and began to laugh.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"What is that noise?" Livewire was curious as he led Ratchet back from the lab.

"It almost sounds like laughter," the medic replied.

When they got to the main work area, they saw Hot Rod and Wheelie sprawled out on the floor in fits of laughter, and Optimus Prime holding on to the wall of the cave as he laughed heartily.

Near Optimus, the girl began to look uncomfortable as she dripped water where she was standing in a ruined, hooded sweatshirt.

"What happened to you?" Livewire demanded as he rushed to her.

"He tried to drown me," she said defiantly and pointed at the prime.

"He did what?" Ratchet roared.

Hastily, Optimus regained his composure. Hot Rod and Wheelie became equally silent as they took in the sight of the girl.

"She was on fire," he began.

"She was what?" Ratchet roared at her.

"It's not like it never happened before," she started.

"What do you mean by that?" he demanded.

Heaving a long suffering sigh, she began, "Simple, when I was still with my uncle, he would catch my arm and legs on fire to measure any damage it did. Every time they replaced them, they did the same test."

The silence that met her matter of fact admission was almost deafening. Even the sparks on the table were silent as they assessed the latest information the girl related.

Becoming self-conscious at all of the attention, she hedged toward Livewire and ducked her head.

"Enough," the small medi-tech admonished as he put an arm around her shoulders.

"My scans indicate that this is heavy water you were immersed in. You need a bath to get it off and to warm you up. You're internal body temperature is four degrees below normal, not to mention your lips are turning blue.

"Ratchet, would you kindly take her to the bathing chamber and wash her? She will show you where it is," he ordered.

"Livewire!" she gasped, scandalized.

"He is a medical professional. It will be okay, I promise you.

"I will take care of Megatron and Elita One will bring you a change of clothes. Go along now."

She looked at him as if she were going to argue, then slumped her shoulders and trudged off.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

The small human child muttered about being made to get naked in front of a total stranger as she led Ratchet through the main work room and to the right. They went through another corridor that ascended and passed several other branches before they came to the end of the path.

Like a great deal of the other caverns in this lair, as she called it, this too was shot through with quartz veins and just as bright. He briefly scanned the interior and memorized the layout; an extension cord snaked up the path to end near the entrance. To the right was a large ledge that was in front of an opening with steam rising up from what appeared to be another cavern below them. As the steam condensed on the roof of the lower chamber, it ran down a sloped roof to fall in a large pool of water. The pool fed a smaller basin and a small stream of water that drained into another hole over which a toilet seat had been placed.

Finding the amenities acceptable, he turned his attention back to the girl. He had noticed her cybernetic limbs were too small for her, if her biologic limb was to be the standard for growth. Her left arm was oriented a bit awkwardly, as if she were throwing it back and the fifth digit jumped spasmodically, indicating a feedback loop in the fine motor processors. He had made a note of how slowly it responded to her control when she used it. A quick scan revealed shoddy craftsmanship. It would simply have to be replaced.

"Do you need help to get undressed?" Ratchet asked in professional courtesy.

She looked at him thoughtfully. "You are a doctor type, right?" she asked again.

"Yes, although I was technically a medic before the war. I've had to become a bit adept at a wider range of medical knowledge since then.

"Now, I would like to help you get undressed so that I can examine you much more quickly and efficiently, if I may," he asked.

She shrugged after further studying him and pulled the zipper down of her hooded sweat shirt.

Quickly and professionally, Ratchet helped the girl disrobe and put her into the pool. Seeing the bathing supplies she failed to remove after her last bath, he grabbed a net sponge and squeezed a bit of soap on it. Working it into a lather, he chastely cleansed the girl from the neck down.

"So how do you get these supplies?" he asked to get her to relax.

"Jukes can dress like a human. So, he does most of my shopping for me."

"What is on the other side of the wall behind you?"

"I call it the sauna chamber. It's too hot for me to go into, but Jukes, Mike, Livewire, Bones, Jazzy, the girls and the spidrobots use it. They say they feel so much better when they're done.

"There's another chamber below that one that's even hotter yet. Clyde and Soto use it. They call it a plasma bath."

Snagging the shampoo next, he had her lean back to both rinse the soap from her body and get her head wet.

He noted the unusual birthmark that seemed to be a gray color instead of a more typical red. There was also a strange scar on her back located at vertebra tee-five. He would have to examine that one a little more closely; it appeared to have something under it.

When he finally moved the hair out of her face, he paused. She had a cybernetic optic, which he was prepared for, but what he didn't count on was the eyelid appeared to have been surgically removed and the optic had a steady red glow.

"Can you offline your optic Ellie?" he asked her, using her name for the first time.

"Offline? If you mean turn it off, then no. That's one of the reasons I have to wear dark glasses; it's on all the time and makes people uncomfortable when I can't even blink over it. The other reason is 'cause all the light gives me a headache.

"I can't turn my audial implant off either, before you ask."

"Slag sucking morons," he muttered to himself.

As he scrubbed her hair, he was able to find the scars and gently palpitate them. They appeared to have grown with her skull as Dr. Carlisle surmised.

Gently, he lowered her head into the water and rubbed it to remove the soap from her hair when she suddenly jerked up and grabbed her left ear with her right hand.

"What's the matter child?" he asked gently, running his scanner over her audial.

"The plug behind my ear, it feels like it's being electrocuted," she tearfully answered.

Quickly, he turned her head to give him a better view of the interface, and saw that the problem was a lack of protection over her exposed circuitry. What was even worse were the small lesions forming around them from the shorts.

"This is going to be scary, but I promise it will stop the pain," he said as he produced a thin wire from the end of his finger and gently inserted it into the connections behind her ear. It heated up quickly and evaporated the water that was shorting out the circuits.

While the heater did its job, Ratchet examined the scarred tissue between her audial and optic. It didn't appear to have any evidence of plastic surgery ever being applied, and decided to discuss the necessity with Livewire.

"There now, feel any better?" he asked her.

"I have a headache, but that's nothing new," she answered honestly.

"Do you need me to help you wash your face?"

"No thanks, I can do it.

"Can I get out now? I'm afraid I'm going to rust."

"Of course.

"I'll leave you and Elita One alone to finish up," he said as he turned toward the entrance.

Elita One rushed in when she heard him taking his leave.

"Elita, I'm going to need to examine the scar on her back a little more closely. Send her to the lab when she is done," he addressed her.

He left the girl and went in search of Livewire. This child was going to prove a perplexing challenge.


	19. Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen:

"I swear Optimus, the more I learn about this Dr. Carlisle human, the less I like him," Ratchet groused.

"There's more," Livewire interrupted.

"More? How could there possibly be any more reasons to dislike this human?" he asked his smaller colleague.

"I told you I was not present for all of Ellie's procedures. There were a couple of sessions she told me about, and I was able to confirm, where her eggs were harvested."

"She couldn't have been more than seven! How could he have done such a thing? There would have been no way they would have even been viable," Ratchet roared. So, there was another reason to dislike the human doctor after all.

"Of course, she didn't understand that was what had happened, but based on the procedure, as she remembered it, it was. I am certain you will also find scarring on both of her ovaries where the needle had been placed," Livewire finished. He wanted to make certain these Autobots knew what kind of perverted monster she was running from.

Optimus found himself clenching his fist until the joints in his hand began to groan and the alloys began to buckle from the stress.

"She will not ever go back to him," Optimus vowed to them both. "Primus help me! If the government of this society will not properly punish this human, I will."

"Optimus? You know you've just about destroyed your hand, don't you?" the chief medical officer asked in concern. He had never seen his leader act this way.

Ratchet repaired his hand as he continued with his preliminary findings.

"First of all, she is going to need new cybernetic limbs. Those won't be too difficult to create, especially if we will be willing to donate alloys to their construction. Her arm is a total disaster; she suffers from a feedback loop in the fine motor processors of the hand, which is why the fifth digit has that tic, and I believe the whole extremity was improperly seated when they first implanted, given the way her shoulder joint is oriented.

"Unfortunately, I will need to run an in-depth scan of the chips implanted in her brain to see what condition they are in.

"Which reminds me," Ratchet continued as he turned toward the smaller mech. "I will need to get a blood sample from the girl. Would you be able to get it for me?"

"Of course," he answered as he watched the medic repair his prime's hand in fascination.

"What alloys do you need us to donate Ratchet?" Optimus asked.

"I'm afraid I'll need the alloys from our internal protoform skin. It will be rather painful for the donors, but those would be the only alloys that will regenerate fast enough on us to not be missed. Besides, they will have the ability to grow with the girl.

"I also will have to return to N.E.S.T. D.C. to get a few supplies as well. I need to replace her optic to allow her the ability to offline it. Her audial will also need to be replaced since it has exposed circuitry."

"Does this mean you will need to operate on her again?" Livewire asked in concern. "I do have a supply of both ether and chloroform available for anesthetics if you need them."

"Unfortunately, yes. She will need additional surgery, and it is good to know we won't need to request anesthesia from the government.

"The one thing I truly wish we had access to is a plastic surgeon. Besides making her self-conscious, that scar on her face has left her optic open to excessive light, which in turn causes her to have headaches."

"I have been working on that aspect as well," the smaller mech admitted. "There is a synthetic skin I was able to develop utilizing what little I know about Cybertronian physiology. It is rather thick though, so I was a bit hesitant to use it until I could confer with you."

"There Optimus, how does that feel?" Ratchet asked his leader.

Optimus flexed his hand a few times and watched it as he ran a diagnostic. "Fine," he answered.

"Let me see what you have as far as this synthetic skin after I finish my examination of Ellie. There's some sort of device on her spine that I need to investigate a little more thoroughly," he relayed to Livewire.

"I will talk to the mechs about donating their alloys," Optimus volunteered. "Whatever you cannot gather from them, you will take from me," he ordered.

"Okay then, I guess that's it. She should be in the lab by now. I'll give you my full report when I've compiled it," Ratchet addressed him.

Optimus nodded and went in search of his soldiers. He knew of at least one mech who would volunteer.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Sir, we don't know what we happened onto, but we were scouting those coordinates you gave us and ended up hog tied in the back of our vehicles," Gunny Young said into the telephone.

"Any intelligence on who got the drop on you?" Dr. Carlisle asked.

"Negative sir. Whoever it was, they were pros. They were able to take us all down at the same time."

"We have just received information that the subject sought out a meeting with the N.B.E.'s. The last known location was near Pittsburgh, about ninety minutes south of you.

"Fall back to the hotel and await further instructions. We will monitor the N.B.E.'s to get a fixed location and contact you at that time," he said as he hung up the phone.

"What did they find?" Dr. Eglin asked from the other side of his desk.

"An ambush," he said in a matter of fact way.

"I need you to go back to the lab and access their audial and visual records to see what they recorded while unconscious. Bring back the raw data when you get it," he dismissed her.

He sat staring at his achievement wall. He had it brought out of storage when the surgery proved to be a success.

He leaned heavily on his cane to get to his feet and walk to the center of the space. Proudly, he examined the various trophies and medals he had received when he was a gymnast, making certain no speck of dust marred the perfection. Eventually, his hand found its way to the display of his war medals. He remembered the day he earned them; they were taking heavy fire during one of the innumerable battles during the Persian Gulf conflict, two of his men were dead and another four were injured, not including himself. Finally, they received word the helicopter was coming; they just had to hang on four more minutes. That was when he gave the order to move position closer to the evac coordinates.

The helicopter landed eighty feet away. He picked up one of his dead troops and followed his men to the helicopter. He had just dropped the soldier onto the deck when he felt the searing pain slice through his back. A boy, no more than twelve had followed him and stabbed him in the back as he tried to get on the helicopter. His men had no choice but to kill the child and pull his collapsing form inside as the pilot took off.

He looked at the medals in wonder. They were the last achievements he knew he had earned. All of the academic and scientific recognition he had garnered since then was nothing in his mind. It was for nothing more than finishing up the work of others. Mopping jobs, he felt.

Heaving a deep sigh, he turned around and walked out of his office. He had physical therapy to get to.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"So, has anyone come up with any ideas as to how we can get our bodies away from the girl's uncle?" Megatron was asking the assembled sparks.

"Suggest employing Deceptacon forces," Soundwave suggested.

"Yes. I was thinking that as well. The problem is will she be believed when she approaches Barricade?"

"Unknown. Suggest exchange to verify legitimacy."

"And who do you suggest she surrenders?" Starscream wanted to know.

"I am the leader of the Deceptacons, it should be me," Megatron declared.

"Do you really think the Autobots will allow her to let you go? Besides, I'm the leader of the Air Command and second only to you. I will prove to be a less valuable prisoner than you. I should be released."

"Am I the only one who noticed that Megatron's body was suspiciously missing from the footage she showed us?" asked Shockwave.

"Perhaps they had it in another bay that was out of camera range," Megatron tried to reason.

"Unlikely," Soundwave offered.

"It is probable that the only way she will let anyone go is if they agree to help her get all of the bodies back. Since Megatron's body is missing, he is out. So, that would mean the only two mechs she would be likely to release would be Starscream and Soundwave. So, I believe it should probably be Starscream who is released," Sentinel Prime said.

"And why do you think it should be him?" Shockwave wanted to know.

"Simple, he will help her if it means helping himself. The only way he is going to be restored is if he gets his body back. The humans under her uncle's command have his body, so he will have no problem helping her fight them."

"I hate that you are right," Megatron had to admit.

Now, he thought, I must try to get my little one to find my body.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Sir, there has been no word yet from Optimus Prime," Airman Cary reported to General Lennox.

"That's fine. I expect he will be getting back with me later this evening or sometime tomorrow. Don't worry about it."

"You trust the alien sir?" he asked in concern.

"Of course.

"I have fought side by side, or ankle, with Optimus and the rest of the Autobots for years. They have saved my life more times than I can count and kept this planet from getting enslaved, destroyed and otherwise made uninhabitable three different times that I'm aware of. And that's just counting the times we were involved in. Who knows how many other times they saved us without our being aware?"

"But sir! They're alien robots. You are talking about them like they have feelings or something," Cary tried to point out.

"They do have feelings, Cary. Have you ever spoken to any of them? Have you ever spoken to any of the men here who have been serving with them? Do you even know of half of the things they've done to help the men here and their families?"

"No sir. I don't want to get involved with them any more than I have to.

"Haven't you ever seen the movies? Every time aliens come to visit the planet, they end up destroying it. It wouldn't surprise me if they are just the advance teams to subdue the planet while their masters are on the way to take over once we're well in hand."

"What? Where in the hell is this coming from?" Lennox wanted to know. If the kid was afraid of aliens, then he most certainly should never have been assigned here.

"I'm just wondering how it seems awful convenient that every time public opinion, and the government, begin to seriously consider asking them to leave, some other planet wide catastrophe rears up that they have to stop unless they're the ones manufacturing them," he said on one breath.

"I think you've seen too many movies.

"The truth is you have to take each individual on their own merits. The Autobots are good beings. Here let me show you what I mean," he said as he pulled the airman over to the window.

"You see that guy down there cleaning his weapon with Skidz?" he pointed. "His hand was crushed when he was working on his car at home. The doctors wanted to amputate, but Ratchet wouldn't let them. He was able to repair his hand to allow him to remain in the military.

"You see that woman over there with the files? Mirage volunteered to drive her on a date. Some guy she met online. He turned out to be a serial killer that would have made her his next victim if Mirage hadn't intervened to save her.

"That guy over there? Sideswipe drove his daughter to her prom and kept her date from raping her.

"That guy directly below us? He was suffering from an aneurysm that Ratchet was able to diagnose and get treatment for just as it was about to let go.

"I could go on, every member of this unit has their own story to share, but that wouldn't matter to you, would it?"

"We were told they wouldn't help us," he muttered, almost to himself.

"Who told you that?" Lennox wanted to know as he turned the kid toward him. He noticed the iris of his eye seemed to shift mechanically as he refocused and his heart began to sink.

"Come with me," he said as he pulled the airman behind him.

"Hey Mudflap. Do you have the ability to scan and detect cybernetic implants in humans?

"Huh?" Mudflap asked.

"I believe I can," Mirage volunteered.

"Scan him. I think it's his eye," Lennox said as he pulled the kid forward.

"You are correct. His eye has been replaced by an optic."

"Take him for questioning. Mirage, I need you and the other Autobots that can scan for cybernetics to scan every new member that has been assigned here within the last two years. If you find anyone else, I don't care who it is, take them for questioning."

Lennox raised his eyes to look at the office spaces. Where was Major Ellison?

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

He should have known the young troop would break, Major Ellison thought to himself as he quietly left the hangar. Didn't he understand this was part of the plot? They would ingratiate themselves in with the militaries of the world and then slowly take over the planet.

He had seen enough to know these Autobots had a gentler approach to world domination, but still, that had to be their ultimate objective. Why else would a supposedly highly intelligent race want to bother with this backward planet? That whole song and dance their leader performed about giving all intelligent life forms the right to choose for themselves was crap. Who decided what was considered intelligent life anyway?

He saluted the guard as he drove through the gate without stopping. Luckily, either Lennox hadn't notified the gates to stop all personnel from leaving, or the guard just hadn't received the missive yet.

He turned the corner and pulled out his Bluetooth; "This is Major Ellison. My cover's been blown. Cary has been compromised. Request extraction," he said to the Vulcan troop on the other end of his radio link.

"Report to fall back position and await further instructions," was the reply.


	20. Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen:

"No!" Ellie screamed as she jumped off the table she was sitting on and ran out into the work room.

"Ellie! Get back here this instant!" Livewire called after her. He knew she hated needles, but this time, he couldn't let her duck out on him.

"No! You won't stick me again!" she yelled back as she slid around the corner heading toward the deeper caverns.

"Ellie! Stop! Somebody stop her!"

In response Arcee and Bonecrusher tried to catch the frightened child, only to miss her when they just couldn't maneuver quickly enough. She made the turn up the ramp towards Prime's vantage when she ran straight into Optimus as he was hurrying down. He had heard the spindly medi-tech yelling for someone to stop the child on his way back.

Fortunately, he saw her before she saw him and was able to kneel down in time to catch her.

"Gotcha!" he said as his hand closed around her.

"No! No more needles! No, no, no," she cried.

The tears running down her face broke his spark. He hated to see her in such distress, but the tests had to be performed.

"Why is she so upset about getting a blood test?" Ratchet wanted to know.

"I'm afraid that's my fault. The last time I needed a blood test, the chair collapsed under her and I ruptured a valve," Livewire admitted with a heavy spark.

"How long ago was that?"

"Two months ago."

Optimus held the child against his chest as she sobbed. She clung to his chest plates as if her very life depended on it. Awkwardly, he made soothing noises to try and ease her suffering.

"Do you know where the valves are now?" Optimus asked.

"Of course."

"Ellie. Child, listen to me. Ratchet needs a blood test to make you well again," Optimus tried to encourage.

The little girl's sobbing started to ease and she began to hiccup at the sound of the giant mech's voice.

Imploringly, she looked up at the kind blue optics over her sunglasses. "You . . . won't . . . let 'im . . . hurt . . . me?" she whimpered as she tried to catch her breath.

"No. I will not allow anyone to hurt you anymore. But I'm afraid this must be done.

"I promise I will not let you go, if that is alright?"

Studying the being with her too old eyes, she tentatively agreed with a head nod.

Lowering her so Livewire could get at her arm, Optimus talked to the girl;

"I have not had much time to thoroughly investigate the cave you showed me Ellie, the writing is ancient. But I have been able to translate a few words. The most complete passage I have been able to read says something about a code in blood and bone holds the secret to something about veracity. Does this sound familiar to you?"

The child appeared thoughtful as she tried to make sense of the passage. She did not even realize Livewire had finished taking her blood until she was able to wipe her nose on the back of her hand and push her sunglasses back onto her nose.

"That didn't hurt this time," she said in astonishment to Livewire.

"Something isn't right about that passage, but I don't know quite what yet. Let me think about it and I'll get back with you," she addressed Optimus.

He chuckled as he answered. "I'm certain you will.

"Now, I have to check on the rest of my mechs. Will you be alright now if I hand you off to Ratchet?"

"He's not going to stick me with any more needles is he?" she asked as she wrinkled her nose.

"Absolutely not! That's why I had Livewire get the blood test," he said as he accepted the girl. "To be honest, I hate dealing with needles too," he confided in an overly loud whisper which he promptly followed up with a violent shudder.

She laughed in response as the medic carried her around the corner toward the lab.

Optimus watched with open admiration as the child seemed to so easily forget the wrongs done to her.

"Are all children so eager to forgive?" he asked the small medic.

"For the most part; every child wants nothing more than to be loved as unconditionally as they do, and know it."

Optimus rose easily to his full height. "It is such a simple desire, and yet one that many simply refuse to grant."

"A life full of hurt does tend to teach hard lessons. Not the least of which is there is no such thing as unconditional."

"For children, there should be."

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Megatron had not been tethered to the recharge table or the arena when Ellie made her break from the small medic. He knew he would not be able to stop her, but he found himself following her in concern anyway. If he were to look honestly at his motivation, he would recognize he was going to try to console her.

He stood close enough to the wall that he had a perfect view of Optimus' cradling his daughter to his own chest. Briefly, he felt the bright spike of jealousy at the way the librarian held his little one. Quickly, he allowed reason to overcome his baser instincts; this is what he wanted. The knowledge he actually cared about Ellie would hand deliver a method of controlling him over to his enemies. This is what was best for her. He knew it.

Leaving his vantage spot when he saw the medic get the blood sample, he returned to the rest of the sparks. He did not know what to make of his odd emotions, somber, and yet also buoyant.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

This was absolutely amazing! Hound thought to himself as he examined the holographic projectors at the entrance. She used a static energy field to make it appear as if the wall was solid. Of course, he figured it would be convincing to anyone with Cybertronian sensors, but he wondered how it would convince humans.

"Hey! Little 'bot, Mike?" Hound asked of the small sentinel.

Mike looked back at the sound of his name, "Yes?" he asked in a lower class of Cybertronian.

"How does this holograph fool humans?"

"It is dark in this part of the cavern, so humans naturally shy away from it. Ellie just made the holograph even darker, so they stay away. And if any happen to get a little too close to the image, the energy field zaps them.

"Besides, no humans ever come here. The magnetic anomaly fries all of their electronics unless they know the path through. No one does," he answered honestly.

"So, how do you interrupt the energy field so only those you want to can enter?"

"Polarizing our armor neutralizes the effects."

"Are you sure you should be telling me that?" Hound asked concerned. Security among these Elliebots seemed awful lax about the free exchange of information.

"Jazz vouched for you. Besides, Ellie has other methods of defense and security measures she can deploy when or if she needs to."

"Like?"

"Don't know. She hasn't had to use them, so she didn't share them with us," Mike said as he turned back toward his post.

Smart girl, Hound had to admire her.

"So, what do you do over there?" he continued. Cautiously, he polarized his armor and tested the 'bots information. It proved to be correct, so he walked through the energy field.

"Watching for texts or visitors," he answered.

"Don't you have a communications center for that?"

"Oh no! The radio signals hurt Ellie's head."

"So, who would have the number to text her? And why can't they just call?"

"Poor signal won't let calls through. Ellie has some friends that send her information."

"What kind of information?"

"The kind she needs to stay safe," was the only answer he was given.

"It seems your prime just received a message from Ellie's friends," Mike continued as the light flashed on the small pre-paid cell phone.

"What? Who knows he's here? Those spidrobots," Hound answered himself as it occurred to him.

"Want to go get him?" Mike asked.

"Sure."

"Remember to polarize."

"Thanks," he said drily.

Hound only had to walk back through the holograph to see Optimus coming out of the arena chamber.

"Optimus, you have a text message from those spidrobots you left at the warehouse," Hound sent via their internal radio link.

"You don't sound as if you approve," he answered as he walked up to him.

"They're spies for the girl."

"Have they sent her any information that harms us?" he asked quickly.

"I don't know yet."

"I'll ask her.

"So, how does this entrance work?" he changed the subject.

"She set up a static energy field behind the holograph. Just polarize your armor and you can get through it.

"Do you really think she would tell you what her spies told you about us?"

Optimus polarized his armor and then adjusted it when it proved to not be at quite the correct frequency to counter the field.

"She hasn't lied to us yet.

"Mike? Hound said you have a text for me?"

"Yes prime 'bot," he chattered politely as he handed over the phone.

Easily, he hacked into the phone and retrieved the message.

"It was from Lennox; they have discovered spies in the N.E.S.T. DC command. Airman First Class Cary and they believe Major Ellison. He cannot be located at this time.

"The Secretary of Defense wants Ellie turned over to the military at once. The security advisor was able to grant us two weeks until the president returns from his vacation."

"Spies for who?" Hound wanted to know.

"Unknown. They do know that Airman Cary has a cybernetic optic implant."

"Uncle Al! Uncle Al!" Mike chattered excitedly. "Tell Ellie! Quick! Quick!" he urged as he shooed them back into the lair.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"How are things going with you Jazz?" Optimus asked as he paused in the main workroom.

"Pretty much boring stuff," he answered.

"What are you doing?" asked Hound.

"Ellie found a way of tapping into the magnetic field to gauge its continuity. Whenever anything breaks it, it registers on this monitor as an outline of what it is. Pure biologics have a fainter outline than anything metal."

"Amazing!"

Optimus allowed the two to continue their discussion and went in search of Ratchet.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Okay now, what can you tell me about this scar on your back?" Ratchet was asking as Optimus turned the corner into the lab.

He stopped and stared at the space briefly in wonder. It was so bright in here, and large. He didn't even have to stoop to get through the entryway.

"It's uncomfortable to sleep on," Ellie was saying.

"Anything else? Do you remember anything about when you got it?"

"I was six. They took me into the hospital room where they did his procedures and strapped down my hands and legs. I know I remember it because I was on my stomach this time.

"Anyhow, I was crying and saying I didn't want any more tests, then I felt something hurt my back and then I didn't feel anything anymore below where my back hurt. Then, they put me to sleep again and when I woke up, my back still hurt, but I could feel again."

"Thank you Ellie," Ratchet said as he gently stroked her hair with a finger.

"So, can you fix whatever is wrong with me?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes. I can fix what's wrong with your implants, but there's nothing wrong with you," he wanted to clarify.

Optimus saw her brows draw in confusion at the comment, and then shrug it off.

"Can you tell me your findings?" Optimus asked his chief medical officer.

"I think I should tell you all at the same time," he answered as Livewire put an arm protectively around the girl.


	21. Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty:

"Blood tests reveal higher than normal levels of metals in her system," Ratchet began. "This may be due to her body's natural attempts to eliminate the foreign bodies of the implants and associated chips. It appears that her blood is corrosive to the kind of circuitry implanted in a majority of her technology.

"She is anemic, which I expected, given her recent history.

"There also appears to be a great number of lesions around the brain implants, which is another reason for her constant headaches.

"The information Livewire shared with us about the scarring was also accurate. Fortunately, whoever did it knew what they were doing and I don't foresee any future hormonal problems.

"There appears to be no tenderness or other signs of rejection of the skull plates. In fact, it would appear the protoform armor actually bonded with her natural bone and continued to grow as if it were the skull.

"The optic and audial implants do function properly, although I did find evidence of a remote viewing and listening sub routine imbedded within the normal circuitry as well as a receiving device. The main problem with them is that they are not properly protected; the circuitry of her audial implant, as I've already told you, is exposed to external elements, and her optic has no protection from excessive light, which has also been adding to her headaches. I'm afraid they will have to be replaced.

"She also has a spinal port that was used to repair a severed spinal column. It has been overgrown with human skin and is intact. The only real problem with it is the discomfort it causes when she tries to lie on her back. I don't think it is necessary to replace it at this time.

"Finally, her cybernetic limbs are much too small for her. The arm is quite frankly a piece of slag; poor design, worse programming and outright wrong seating at the shoulder. Fortunately, the arm will be the only limb surgery that will have to be repeated."

"Why will you have to operate on her shoulder?" Optimus wanted to know.

"Because the morons who initially placed the seating joint put it in backwards."

"How can you put a joint in backwards?" Livewire asked.

"It's only easy if you're an idiot," Ratchet sighed through his vents. He raised his hand upright and generated his holograph to illustrate what happened. "You see the standard seat has three different arms, one over the top and two on either side. They got the one on top and the one in front correct, but they messed up on the back. What confused them is that they designed them according to what ours look like, with a small hook on the very ends that point outward, and a larger hook about an inch further down that point in and actually hold the joint to the body. The one on the back is oriented so the larger hook is outward and is being held by the smaller hook.

"That is why she was always breaking her shoulder when she would try to use the arm. It would simply unseat itself, and then catch on the two correct arms which would put excessive stress on the bone."

"So I'm broken," Ellie said sadly.

"No child. You are not broken, your implants are just malfunctioning," Ratchet said again as his attention was caught by a flash from the matrix collector.

Seeing his attention diverted, Ellie followed his gaze and saw the essence matrix coming to rest on the padding beneath the device.

"Well Livewire, looks like we got another customer.

"Would you like to help?" she asked of the medic.

"Yes. I would like to see how you do this."

"May I observe Ellie?" Optimus asked her.

"Me too!" Hound added from the entrance.

"Sure. Just ask whatever questions you need to as we go along," she answered as she was already jumping off the table and picking up a clean white cloth.

"The first question I have," Optimus started, "is how did you get that spark here?"

"Oh, that's Webster's idea," she stated. "I don't know the exact technology, but the gist is developing something called a teleportation channel from the millimites that have been seeded throughout the planet to this matrix collector."

"Millimites? Seeded throughout the planet? How is this possible?" the prime was curious.

"Ok. Webster miniaturized some technology to the milliscopic level. He calls them millimites. They act as monitoring devices for every Cybertronian that has ever spent any length of time on this planet over the last five years. They are programmed to adhere to the energy signature of the matrix, then if any fatal injury happens to the 'bot, the millimites are programmed to activate their end of the teleportation channel which then brings the essence matrix here.

"Now, as to how we seeded the planet; first we spread the millimites along the major highways. Then, it's a basic pollination equation; the 'bot picks them up, as he transforms, it migrates the 'mites toward the matrix, any extras are then either transferred to any other 'bots he comes in contact with, either through combat or familiar contact, or just drops off along the road where another 'bot can pick them up.

"Is that what you wanted to know?"

"Yes. It is.

"How do you know who the spark belongs to?"

"That I can explain after we get him into the holo-preserver. Any other questions about the teleporter?"

"Just one, how can you tell if these millimites have infested you?"

"That's easy, just scan your chest innards with a standard debris scan set at the milliscopic and microscopic levels.

"Anything else?"

"Not about the teleportation technology," Optimus finished.

"Please, continue with your new patient," Ratchet encouraged.

"First thing we do is get it out of the collector bin in case more are coming. I found out the hard way that you should use a cloth when I accidentally touched a connection that had acid on it.

"So, we set this fella up here, and Livewire is going to get a sample from the dust that seems to naturally occur in between the crystals," she continued as she pulled her stool up to her work bench and he gently rubbed a cotton swab between two crystals.

"What is he studying the dust for?" Ratchet wanted to know.

"I told you that you guys have DNA. He's mapping it," she said distractedly.

Curious, Optimus walked over to stand by Livewire's shoulder. "Will I bother you if I stand here?" he asked.

"Not at all," he answered as he became engrossed in his work.

"Now, this fella's about sixteen inches in diameter," Ellie continued as she eyed up her latest patient.

"That means he's about the same size as Ironhide. So, I'm going to need to make a standard base.

"First thing I need is a medium piece," she said and began pointing her two new helpers around the worktable.

". . . a piece of the spidrobots' special gold-leaf cloth to help keep the connection points in contact on the bottom . . . now the green drawer, I'll need one from each section . . ." she directed.

"Okay, so now that the base is all done, let's find out which way he's oriented. For that, I developed this base that is connected to a computer monitor, all we need is the gold sack to go over the matrix," she pulled out a gold colored cloth the same weave as the one on the bottom with wires coming from it, "and then connect it to the interfaces and hit the power button."

The image on the monitor depicted a generic stick figure looking like it was in the middle of doing a cartwheel.

"Poor thing's on his head. So, let's adjust him a little bit, and there. He's on his feet, but let's see what direction he's facing."

This time the image depicted a generic head in profile. She adjusted the matrix again and was satisfied with the results.

"Now, we just put a little carbon on the bottom connection points so we know how he would go into his body, sit him in his new holo-preserver and connect the wires to the points inside of the cube. Now we put the cube on and we're done. He just needs to sit on the recharge table for twenty-four hours before we can turn him on and introduce ourselves," she finished with obvious pride.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"So who found what they believe to be DNA inside of one of our sparks?" Optimus was asking Livewire.

"Ellie. Despite everything, her uncle did teach her a few things about proper scientific research. The first thing was always know exactly what you are dealing with.

"And it is DNA. I've run the analysis myself over six hundred times. Every matrix, or spark, as you call them, that comes from a Cybertronian has DNA wrapped within an odd metallic molecule. They each have two specific nucleotides in common, one is HDL 1, or the human gene, and the other is the one I call the Cybertronian gene."

"What? How is this possible? What do you mean by a Cybertronian has DNA? What about those 'bots created on this planet like yourself?"

"I don't know. Exactly what I said, and no. Those of us created here appear to not have DNA. Ellie believes it may just be that we are so young ours is still firmly within our frames and simply has not had the time to slough off."

"Just for curiosity's sake," Ratchet asked as he joined them after finishing up with Ellie. "Have you mapped Ellie's DNA?"

Livewire smirked and glanced to make sure she had left for the moment. Wordlessly, he accessed a port in his chest and displayed it on the monitor in front of him. "And this is the map of Jazz's DNA," he said as a second read out appeared below the first. "This is HDL 1, and this is the Cybertronian nucleotide." She had it too.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"It's about time you guys got here," Major Ellison said as the dark SUV pulled into the warehouse.

Wordlessly, the rear passenger door opened and he got in. The door was closed and locked before he realized what had happened.

"Hey! Who are you? Release me right now! Let me go!"

The holograph in the front seat dissolved and a disembodied voice said from the speakers, "Silence insect!"

In desperation, he began to kick at the seats and doors with his cybernetic leg. He was doing some damage to the interior, but the alien remained silent. Finally, he was able to kick out the rear passenger window and started to clamber out when it transformed, crushing his lower half in the process. Major Ellison screamed in pain as he felt his bones twist and shatter from the hips down.

Through the haze of pain, he saw the black and white police car pull in behind the alien. "Help!" he yelled at the officer. The car complied willingly when he also transformed and walked up to the SUV.

"Release him Lugnut," the newcomer said.

Wordlessly, Lugnut reassumed his alt form and the black and white plucked the semi-conscious human from his rear window.

"You are Major Andrew Ellison, member of the United States Marine Corps and spy to Dr. Alistair Carlisle. You were sent with two others to infiltrate N.E.S.T. and determine the movements of the Autobots," he was informed. "I know all about you and your cohorts. By the time either side gets here, you will be beyond saving. I am only here to address you personally to leave a message for Dr. Carlisle: Ellie is beyond your control, but you are not beyond mine."

Manifesting a razor sharp blade, he slit the skin behind the human's right ear and pulled out the audial implant. Easily, he cloned the signal of the remotely controlled recording device, and downloaded the saved files, making sure to send his specific message on before he crushed the implant in his fingers.

Dropping the human as if he were nothing more than trash, Barricade walked over to the apparently dying biologic's vehicle and reactivated the GPS device.

"Let's go Lugnut," he said as he transformed. "We did what we came here for."

Following his best friend and leader, Lugnut rolled back out into the abandoned alleyways before he spoke. "Barricade? Why didn't you just kill the insect?"

"Because this will be far more efficient for our purposes."

"How?"

"He will survive at least long enough to tell whoever finds him that he was attacked by alien robots. If it is the Autobot forces that find him, he will inadvertently lead them to Dr. Carlisle's base, which will finally release me from my debt to the human child. If it is Dr. Carlisle's forces that find him, they will have another reason to hate the Autobots and cause even more trouble for them. This way, I don't have to deploy my own forces prematurely."

"Oh.

"So, can I get a new form now? This one has that last insect's lubricants all over the interior and he dented it up pretty bad."

"Of course you may have a new form. You did very well," Barricade answered as they made a detour toward the military base. "I think you would look very good in camouflage."

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Mudflap and Skidz were the first to arrive at the location of the major's car. They found him still alive, but unconscious and badly damaged.

"Skidz to base; found Major Ellison and he ain't none too good. Request medical types here pronto," he sent via his internal com.

"Roger Skidz. Dispatching Dr. Zadak with Dino," the human on the other end responded.

A few minutes later, Dr. Brenda Zadak was kneeling over the still form of Major Ellison. "The audial implant is trashed. I doubt we'll be able to get anything out of it now. Here, let me remove his cybernetic leg and see if that relieves some of the pressure on his pelvis. I think he may end up losing his other leg though. It's badly damaged.

"I am still getting a rather strong pulse behind his knee and in his ankle, so the major blood vessels seem to be intact.

"Start an IV," she ordered the medic. "Get him stable and try to keep him sedated. The pain from his injuries might cause cardiac distress."

Skidz and Mudflap looked at each other. They both thought it was kind of odd that the human doctor knew he had a cybernetic leg without examining it first. Mudflap sent his suspicion to Dino as Skidz sent his to General Lennox.

Scans of the doctor did not reveal any cybernetic implants.


	22. Chapter Twentyone

Chapter Twenty-one:

"So what's the diagnosis Hot Rod?" Optimus asked the wrecker. He and Wheelie had made themselves useful checking out his trailer while Ellie was being tended to.

"Not good," Wheelie volunteered. "Anything in here that had a circuit board is slagged."

He raised his optics to the wrecker for confirmation.

"He's pretty much correct. Everything that was on the rear left side of your trailer is beyond repair. Those that were placed farther away have received various degrees of damage, a lot of which I can repair if I have the proper supplies.

"Your flight deck can be fixed, but it's useless now," Hot Rod finished.

"I will ask Ellie if she has any of the supplies you need. Do what you can.

"Ratchet and I will be returning to N.E.S.T. command before the end of the evening, he needs some supplies to help repair Ellie's implants and I am curious about how the search for the spies is going. I will leave some of you here to help protect the girl."

"No problem. I would suggest leaving Hound in charge. His unit is closest to supply back up and replacements if needed."

"That was my intention. Of course, I will include Ellie in our decisions regarding her safety."

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Optimus sent the meeting request to his mechs through the internal radio link. They had discovered that using the link did not appear to harm Ellie and there was no distortion within the caverns. Bumblebee sent his standard chirping response before he tapped his ear and pointed to the entrance to signify to Jukes he was needed in the lair.

"Okay. I'll stay here.

"Maybe you should talk to Ellie about your vocal processors," he added. "She is really adept at solving problems."

Bumblebee cocked his head and slowly nodded. Maybe he would ask her for her opinion.

When he was passing through the arena room, he looked around to get a better feel for the place. That's when he noticed the odd device set up in the far corner beside the plasma television. He made the note in his processor to check it out when he came back through the room again.

He entered the lab and his optics immediately sought out his little translator. He recognized the instant brightening of her expression as happiness. When she came running over to him, it seemed almost natural to scoop her up and set her on top of his grillwork. His optics took in every aspect of the lab in a glance as she rested her head against his helm and they stayed that way throughout the briefing.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Optimus took in the familiar way his scout and human charge interacted. It seemed odd behavior between a mech and a human, but they seemed to both benefit from it.

"Everyone, this briefing is to discuss your assignments over the next few days. Ratchet and I must return to N.E.S.T. command to get some supplies and get an update on the infiltration.

"With Ellie's permission, I will leave a force here under Hound's command to help keep the lair safe. Do you mind if he brings some others in here from his unit?"

"If Bumblebee can stay too, I don't mind, and as long as he doesn't treat me like a baby. And he doesn't try to keep me from doing my work," she bargained.

"Yes, Bumblebee can stay. Will you have any problems with her requests?" he asked Hound.

"As long as she doesn't try to blow herself up or something, I have no problems."

"Very well. You, Hot Rod, Prowl and Bumblebee will remain along with Jazz and the others that have been staying here. I do not want to have to reveal too much about how they were saved to the military at this time.

"Ellie, perhaps there is something you can help us with," he addressed her.

"Me? I guess. I'll try to help if I can," she replied cautiously.

"There has been an incident in N.E.S.T. command; a spy has been discovered with an optic implant. Would you know anything about it?"

"Well, if he had an optic implant, he's probably either one of my uncle's plants, or one of the doctors' who worked with him. I know a few of them were dismissed when they stood up to him for one reason or another.

"What's the guy's name?"

"Airman First Class Jacob Cary"

The girl appeared thoughtful for a moment, and then began to recite the file she apparently accessed; "Cary, Jacob William. Airman First Class United States Air Force. Injured July fourth of last year when a bottle rocket exploded outside of his window and shattered the glass. Injuries sustained included a broken orbital bone, loss of sight in the right eye, temporary tinnitus and abrasions to the face, arms and hands. Replacement of eye with cybernetic implant authorized July tenth by Dr. Alicia Eglin. Surgery performed July eleventh. Recruited into Deadeye unit August third. Assigned to special duty November fifteenth.

"Is that what you mean?" she asked.

"Yes. It is exactly what I meant. Tell me, how did you know all of that?"

"I still have friends in my uncle's lab. They send me the files on all of the subjects he's recruited into his private military. I download them into my implants and then can access them whenever I need to."

"How can you access them at will?" Ratchet was curious.

"I don't know. Why? Can't you?"

"Well of course I can," he blustered, off balance, "but you shouldn't be able to. I have never heard of any times where the biologic tissue of the brain can access the technological aspects."

"You have now. After all, the brain is just an organic computer. It's just a matter of rewiring the electrical impulses between the tissues to include the technology and vice versa."

"Ellie," Optimus interrupted. As fascinating as this was, he needed to get back to the problem of the moment. "Would you be willing to let us have the files on your uncle's subjects?"

"The files I have are over a day old. I can let you have what I have.

"Do you have an email address and does Arcee know it?" she asked suddenly.

"Yes. She knows how I can be reached through the internet," he replied in confusion.

"Arcee," she addressed. "Text Maestro and tell him that the 'bots who are helping me are in danger from Uncle Al. Have him send a copy of his latest personnel update to Optimus as well as all emails the doc has sent or received for the past two years. Tell him to include contact information if more files are necessary and give him whatever he asks for.

"Will that help you?"

"I don't know. That will take a human some time to compile," he replied hesitantly.

"He'll have it to you within two hours of receiving the text. I'll give you the files I already have when the briefing is over."

"There are aware mechs assigned to your uncle's project?" he asked in astonishment.

Ellie smiled in answer. "Unfortunately, they can't move to help the ones that aren't aware directly . . . yet."

"What are you waiting for?" Hound wanted to know.

"Opportunity and means."

"Yes. That will help us tremendously," Optimus replied in awe.

"Now, how will we communicate with the lair?" he had an idea, but he just wanted to see if he was figuring this brilliant human child out.

"Well, I would guess the same way Barricade does; we have a few prepaid cell phones that we have reserved. We can give you a few that you can clone and then just send the texts to one of a few numbers. I do have to warn you, we don't keep any phone number active for more than three days."

"That will be acceptable.

"Tell me, why does Barricade contact you?"

"Because I helped him when I first escaped. He was stuck in his car form and on his roof, so I got the guys to turn him over and he followed us until we found a safe place to repair him. He stayed with us for a couple days, cloned the radio receiver frequency my uncle kept trying to use to find me, then went about his business once he taught Clyde how to protect me from the radio signals.

"He still texts me to let me know when it's safe to leave the lair. Usually after my uncle sends out a locating signal, I have about twenty-four hours to leave and get back."

"In the meantime, he is learning whatever information that is intended for you," Ratchet said, calculating. "Do you remember what some of those messages said?"

"I mostly just remember the pain. Every time I would get one, I'd get a really bad headache and my ear would start bleeding. Lately, it would make both my ear and nose start to bleed.

"If you want, I can give you what he sent me since I got away. I have everything that I've ever recorded through my implants saved on hard drives."

"Would you be willing to give us everything you've ever recorded?" Optimus asked in curiosity.

"I can give you most of what I've recorded. There are a couple files that just wouldn't be right to give you 'cause I promised I wouldn't say anything."

"They may have some information that we might need."

"You trust Ratchet, right?"

"Of course! He's my chief medical officer and one of my most trusted advisors," Optimus answered in confusion.

"Okay. Ratchet? You're a doctor type, so does that mean you have to keep anything I say to you that doesn't affect my health a secret if I ask you too?" she addressed the medic.

"Yes. I do have the same responsibility to uphold patient confidentiality as a human doctor," he confirmed cautiously.

"Okay, then would it be acceptable to you that I give Ratchet the files, and he can go through them first? I'll tell him about the three files that I'm concerned about blabbing and you would trust his judgment about if they are necessary, wouldn't you?"

"Agreed. You can give the files to Ratchet and he will share whatever is relevant with us," Optimus accepted. He found her attempt to maintain trust and still help him to be most noble.

"I have a question," Hound interrupted. "Tell me, what have those spidrobots been texting you about us?"

"I don't know everything; Boney and Soto got those texts and briefed me. I just know that they said you spoke to a general about me and he gave you temporary custody until he could investigate and arrest my uncle. Oh, and that everyone was upset when you saw the video of my first surgery with my uncle, and you guys are taking over the Autotronix buildings."

"'Upset' is an understatement," Hot Rod muttered.

"Speaking of the properties, have you found all of the escape routes?"

"We don't know yet. That is another thing we will be checking on once we are out of this dead zone," Optimus said as he noticed Bumblebee quickly wrap his hand around the child and begin stroking her back with a finger. If he had to guess, he would say the child was much more upset about the trauma than she was showing, if his scout's actions were anything to go on. Her return stroke of his jaw would seem to indicate she was just as affected by his emotional response.

"Now, if I may request one thing more of you Ellie," Optimus started.

"Hmmm?" she made a quizzical sound as she brought her attention back to him.

"My trailer hit one of the magnetic anomalies and several components were damaged. Would you have any replacements Hot Rod could use to repair them?"

"I don't know. Most of the stuff I work with is in here. There are some crystals I'm growing for technological use in the main work room too. Just look around and use what you need. I just ask to be told what you're using so I know what needs to be replaced for my work."

"That's a reasonable request. May I look around before they leave so they can bring anything you don't have?" Hot Rod asked.

"Sure."

"Now, that is all I have. Anyone else have anything?"

"I do," Ellie said quietly.

"Yes?" Optimus encouraged.

"Okay, I would suggest you take Jukes, Livewire or the spidrobots with you. They were with me at the lab and can tell you if they recognize anyone that isn't in the personnel files.

"Also, try to get back before snow starts to stick to the ground; that's another way I've been able to avoid detection."

"Unless First Aid is available, Livewire has to stay here to take care of Ellie's medical needs," Ratchet insisted.

"He was en route to the industrial complex base when we left. He might be there by now," Hound answered.

"Livewire already knows everything that's going on with her. He will remain," Optimus decided.

"However, if Jukes or the spidrobots are willing to join us, they are welcome."

Bumblebee chirped and nuzzled the girl before reluctantly placing her on her feet.

"He says he's going to go take over for Jukes so you can ask him," Ellie translated.

"Proceed," Optimus granted when the scout hesitated.

The sound of thumping on the worktable drew everyone's attention to the spidrobots where Webster was jumping in glee. Ellie reached out to catch him when he promptly fell off.

"I guess Webster is volunteering," she said drily.

"Just don't go getting stuck in anyone's circuitry this time. It took me three days to get all of the wires repaired in Clyde's neck when you fell off his head," she admonished the little 'bot.

He promptly covered his face with his two front legs in embarrassment.

"May I see him?" Ratchet asked.

Wordlessly, Ellie handed him over and Ratchet proceeded to run a medi-scan over him.

"Well here's the problem; his distance sensor is slightly misaligned. Just give me one second to readjust it, and that should do it," he said as his lasers made the appropriate adjustments.

"Feel any different Webster?" Ellie asked in concern.

In answer the little 'bot shook his head as if to clear the cobwebs, and then proceeded to fall out of Ratchet's hand.

"Guess not," she muttered.

"No, that was my fault. I should have left him sitting on the table until he was able to complete his internal diagnostics.

"So, feeling any better now?" he asked his small patient.

Webster flipped himself onto his back and proceeded to twitch as if he was dying.

"I think he's saying you tried to kill him," she giggled.

Webster jumped onto his feet and clapped his front legs together in answer.

"I did not!" Ratchet exclaimed, affronted.

"That's just Webster. He likes to tease," she laughed.

"Humph! You're just lucky I'm a medical professional. Otherwise, I would be sorely tempted to step on you," Ratchet groused with a twinkle in his optic.

Webster scurried up to the worktable and hid behind Weaver and Webber in response. The latter two each took a couple of giant steps away from him. The message was clear; he was on his own against the medic.

"So, are you two coming along as well?" Optimus asked with a chuckle.

Weaver looked at Webber, who nodded at her. She offered her front leg to the prime in a human imitation of a handshake.

Optimus shook her leg gently. "I guess that's a yes then."

She nodded her head.

"Okay. We will leave in one hour. That will put us at the D.C. base around twenty hundred hours.

"Hound, go get a detail together and bring them back. Take Prowl with you to navigate through the anomaly.

"Hot Rod, find out what you need to fix my trailer and get me the list. Include whatever you borrowed from Ellie," Optimus ordered his troops.

"Ellie. There is something I must discuss with you," he started as Jukes walked in.

"Yes?"

"General Lennox has granted us temporary custody of you until your uncle has been apprehended. The one primary concern we have is that we do not know the complete parameters for your care.

"We have a human friend who worked with us for years and left the military several years ago. We would like to invite him to join us to help with your care. Will that be acceptable to you?"

"I don't need a babysitter!" she denied hotly.

"He will not be a babysitter. You can consider him our advisor on human development, if that will help."

"Who are you talking about?" Ironhide wanted to know.

"Robert Epps."

"I know him Ellie. He's a god guy. Let him come," Ironhide encouraged.

"You do realize I'm at the age where I could actually babysit other kids and get paid for it, don't you?" she huffed.

"He can come," Jukes decided. "And you will not give him a hard time Urielle Lorena Guardian or I will be most unhappy with you."

"I don't need a babysitter! I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself," she announced.

"Ellie, he won't make fun of you," Elita One comforted as she pulled the child into her arms. "Optimus will make sure he won't."

The girl remained tense for a few moments until she turned her head into Elita's frame and shook with fear.

"Of course he will not make fun of you," Optimus replied disconcerted. He had not considered her adamant refusal for human involvement stemmed from her self-consciousness. "He may be curious about your physical differences to start, but he will not blame you for them."

Resignedly, she waved her good hand at the prime and trudged out of the lab.

"I'll make sure to design her replacements to appear completely human," Ratchet quietly confirmed.

"I will work on the synthetic skin with the new parameters you've given me.

"Make sure when you design her legs, you give her real human feet. She is rather self-conscious about having robotic foot pads instead," Livewire counseled.

"This is going to be far more difficult than I realized," Optimus said with a sigh.

"She's worth it," Jazz said from the door.


	23. Chapter Twenty two

Chapter Twenty-two:

Fig's first shift on the wall of the complex was turning out to be completely boring. Two-ten assigned him to partner up with J.J. who turned out to be much more intelligent than his name would imply.

"So, you're saying these robot alien types just want to take over the world and turn us all into their slaves?" Fig was asking.

"Yes. That is what the training has been telling us to believe," he returned with a shrug.

"You don't believe it," Fig whispered in realization.

Again, J.J. shrugged and returned to watching the perimeter. He had seen the subliminal messages imbedded in the videos. Usually, it was Dr. Eglin's voice that was heard on the accompanying audio. The only reason he heard it was because he was getting suspicious of the illogical fear he felt whenever he walked through the lab bays where the robots were being examined, so he recorded the next briefing and was able to separate out the voice – under.

"You know, I think the doc is going to start taking an overly active interest in two-ten shortly," Fig informed.

"Most likely. She doesn't always think about who else is listening to her when she starts spouting off at the mouth," he agreed.

"You think she's going to lose her job?"

"If she's lucky, that's all she'll lose. We'll find out if she gets sent out for exercises in the next couple days."

"You don't think . . . ?" Fig started. He knew it could happen, he just hoped what J.J. was insinuating wasn't true.

"Let's just say there tends to be a lot of training accidents involving people who talk too much."

"But, nothing you can prove."

J.J. shrugged. "So, tell me how you lost your eyes."

"The first contact we had with the alien robots in Qatar. We escaped our base attack and made a stand at a mountain village. The scorpion looking thing fired a missile that took out a building ruin I was standing under. Got some sort of metal in my eyes that became infected and they had to amputate them."

"So, you have a reason to hate them."

Fig shrugged. "I haven't had a reason to welcome them with open arms.

"If it wasn't for Captain Lennox, I'd be dead."

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"E.T.A. to command approximately three hours. Sending a complete listing of personnel currently on Dr. Carlisle's payroll. Request General Lennox meet with us as soon as possible regarding high level governmental corruption. Ask that he bring in the J.C.S., security advisor and Secretary of Defense," Optimus radioed to Dino and Mirage. Once he received their acknowledgment, he sent the data burst with the relevant information.

"So, what do you think their reaction will be when they learn the current Secretary of Defense was one of the individuals responsible for Ellie?" Jukes asked from the passenger seat.

"That is why I have requested the security advisor be there as well. She seems to be on Ellie's side. I only hope he can be apprehended with a minimum amount of trouble for any of us."

"He is the Secretary of Defense. It wouldn't surprise me if he believes himself to be untouchable in his current position."

"That is a logical conclusion. I just hope he decides to show up."

"It's doubtful he would realize we have proof that puts him in league with Carlisle," Jukes tried to reason. "So, why would he not?"

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Barricade chuckled once he downloaded and analyzed the signal intended for the girl.

This human was clever; he was attempting to imbed subliminal messages within his messages to keep her afraid of robotic organisms. Of course, if he was trying to keep her alone, then he would undoubtedly be trying to incite his own troops to violence against any Cybertronian that would try to help her as well. That was why he found himself parked within a three block radius of N.E.S.T. command. It was dangerous, but if he could get Carlisle to make his move against the Autobots, then that would move him one step closer to defeating them both.

He also knew enough about Prime to know the humans sent against his troops would be captured. Of course, the humans fighting in their defense would not, necessarily, be so charitable.

Sighing at the way his plan was coming together so perfectly, he sent the text as he had promised the girl he would. It wasn't that he actually cared about her safety, but rather, as long as she was still in play, he could maneuver the good Uncle Al into any position he wanted.

Besides, he found he may very well have need of a human with her abilities. It wasn't every day you had a human with the knowledge to repair his kind that trusted mechs more than humans.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Hello Alicia," Dr. Longhorne said as he answered the phone.

"We received a lock on the subject," she informed him.

"Where? When?"

"Near N.E.S.T. command about twenty minutes ago. We will have a unit deployed to that sight in four hours. I'm giving our people the order to bug out."

"Acknowledged. Let me know when you have her back. Make sure to fry all electronic equipment as well; they have videos of the experiments done on her," he ordered.

"Yes sir. We will notify you when she is back in custody."

Dr. Longhorne hung up the phone without pleasantries as he sat down to his computer. Quickly, he pulled up his resignation letter to make certain it sounded believable. Satisfied, he composed his email and saved it under drafts. Now, all he needed was confirmation the girl was safe and he would be free of those damnable alien robots. He still quietly seethed at the idea they thought he would actually believe them; like they actually would leave the planet without subjugating humans. He knew better.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Yes Alicia," Dr. Carlisle asked with great annoyance.

"We have confirmation of a radio lock on Angel," she answered without preamble.

"Where?"

"N.E.S.T. command in D.C."

"Deploy all numbered divisions on standby. As soon as there is sufficient evidence she is on scene, full assault. Try to save what you can of their technology; I want to be able to examine it within twenty-four hours. Make arrangements for the standby clean rooms to receive it.

"And Alicia," Dr. Carlisle warned, "this had better not be another false alarm."

"Yes sir," she answered as she hung up.

"So what was that all about?" his companion asked from her side of the bed.

"My niece may have been found at your N.E.S.T. headquarters," he answered as he turned his attention to finding his pants.

"She's there?" Security Advisor Jennifer Agosto asked in disbelief. "When?"

He looked at the clock as he heavily leaned against the nightstand to get to his feet. "We sent out a locating signal an hour ago, followed by another one about twenty minutes ago. Alicia would only have called me if both signals had been picked up within the same vicinity."

Quickly, she set about finding her clothing, turning on the bedside lamp so she could see. "I better get out of here then. Lennox will be calling me soon to inform me of the new guest."

"Just make sure you don't leave anything this time," he said dismissively as he limped into the master bathroom.

Her face flamed in embarrassment as she quickly dressed, and then left his house.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Phone," she ordered the secret service agent as she left the house.

"Ma'am, General Lennox called for you five minutes ago," he relayed the message.

She dialed his number while moving to the Suburban. "General Lennox, I know why you are calling," she started as soon as he answered. "Inform N.E.S.T. command to prepare for attack. Dr. Carlisle has just received word Urielle is there and has ordered his troops to attack as soon as her presence is suspected.

"I will be there in six hours," she said as she hung up the phone.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"So, what do you make of that?" Lennox asked the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"It sounds as if she knows more about Dr. Carlisle than she led us to believe," General Sherman Morgan began.

"I will call the president personally and tell him about what is happening here. You need to call N.E.S.T. and inform them to get ready for attack. If possible, try to have the Autobot's make it appear that the girl is there. The more players we can get, the better the chance of bringing this bastard to justice."

"Yes sir," Lennox said as he dialed the number.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"We may have found her mistress," Alicia said into the phone. "It appears she is at the military supported base in Washington D.C."

"Is it certain?" the aristocratic elderly lady asked with surprising strength.

"No my lady. We have received two radio locks on her implants in the same area within an hour of each other. We also know she has sought out the infidels for aid that are stationed there."

"Inform me when she is under our control," she ordered before she hung up. Sighing, she got up from her wing-back chair and walked to the concealed door. Pushing the hidden trigger, she opened it and went inside the dark passageway. She didn't 'bother with a light; she knew every inch of this hall intimately. The door swung closed silently behind her, removing all hint of illumination. Turning the corner, she easily turned the shield set on the wall clockwise a quarter turn, clockwise again a half turn, then counter two full turns. The wall on the left opened with a soft groan, revealing the sun's light from the quartz skylight.

The floor was beneath the door a full thirteen stories, a descending, crumbling staircase circled the massive chamber to the left. A well maintained staircase ascended another five stories to the right. It was up these stairs the woman climbed. She stopped at the top, where it ended in an observation deck. She approached the edge and fell to her knees, kneeling before the giant face in front of her.

"My lord!" she whispered. "We have found the region the key is hiding in. It will be found shortly, and you will be restored to your glory."

Suddenly, the eyes glowed a brilliant violet. They swept the wall five stories further above her, descending the wall until she was bathed in their light. Startled, she cried out and threw herself on her face, prostrating herself before her god.

"Where?" he asked.

"With the vile beings that would enslave us my lord; Washington D.C." she answered into the floor.

The violet light of the eyes remained on the woman for another few moments and then went out. She laid there and wept for the joy of being the one to finally awaken the god. It would not be long before he would again walk the Earth, and reward those who had remained faithful.

Finally, she brought herself to her feet and walked out on the bridge to his face. With all the reverence of a priestess for her god, she kissed his massive lips, and backed away, not daring to turn around until she was at the stairs. As fast as she could make her feet move, she left the platform and descended to the door. Once outside, she rotated the shield clockwise until the unicorn appeared to be galloping directly out of it. The door groaned shut.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Maestro watched Dr. Alicia Eglin through the security feed. He had recorded all of her conversations since she made the mistake of using the land line. That was an error she rarely made, so he speculated she must have been really excited.

Quickly, he hacked into the databases he wanted. Easily, he found all of the information about those she had called. With a sinking spark, he realized this was far more dire than he had thought. It wasn't only Dr. Carlisle that was after Ellie; it was, apparently, some odd sect of religious zealots that worshiped a unicorn as well.

Running through all of the scenarios, he decided the best course of action was to notify Optimus Prime. He just hoped the leader of the Autobots could use the information to keep her safe. He compiled the file and sent out the message.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Alright Boomer," Ellie addressed the holograph from the safety of the bathing facilities. "I had to give Ratchet all of my cybernetic recordings. But, there was one that I wasn't sure about and I haven't gotten any real answer about it from anyone who listened to it."

"What is it?" Soundwave was curious.

"When I was fixing Barricade, he would let me sleep in his rear seat to keep the radio signals from hurting me. I don't know why, but I would sometimes wake up and hear what I guess is your native language in my audial. Jazzy said he didn't understand it because it wasn't a dialect he was familiar with, and Boney said he didn't quite know what it was, but he definitely heard your name in it," she said as she snapped a device over her left ear.

"Ow," she breathed as it audibly clicked into place.

Soundwave patiently waited for her to continue.

"So, this is what I would hear," she said as she began to play the audial recording she kept in her implant.

Easily, he heard the voice of the black and white in a common internal dialect. "That fragging Soundwave thinks I'm going to just kill myself and let him ride the wave to glory on Megatron's heals! What he doesn't know yet is that I'm still alive and am in the ideal position to take everything over when he follows our illustrious leader off the cliff. And Megatron will be so pleased when I maneuver the situation so it looks like Soundwave was the one who pushed him; I will be in position to get rid of Starscream too. It is only a matter of time before I am the only mech Megatron will believe. The fool will not even realize he will be my puppet!"

"That's the end of it," she said as she eagerly removed the device. Gingerly, she rubbed her ear to ease the pain.

"Thank you. Information enlightening," he said thoughtfully. So, the secret enemy he had been investigating before he ended up here had been Barricade. That would make sense. It also gave him a better idea as to who more of the upper members most likely were in Barricade's ranks.

"So what did he say?" the girl demanded.

"He is angry at me," he said simply.

"And?" she prompted.

"Fantasizing about revenge," he answered evasively.

"Are you in danger?" she asked in concern.

"Uncertain."

"Can I help?"

"Negative.

"Return to arena."

Ellie sighed as she gathered him up into her arm. "Alright Boomer, but you'll let me know if you're in danger right?"

He didn't answer, and she didn't expect him to.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"I'm telling you, I just don't believe that little scar faced insect didn't know we are her prisoners," a Decepticon named Deadbolt was exclaiming to Megatron.

Megatron sorely wanted to pound the insolent fool into reset, but refrained.

"I have been able to spend some time getting to know the girl," he informed his mech instead. "It is highly probable that she viewed herself as our protector."

"Then she's as foolish as she is ugly!" Deadbolt exclaimed.

"Shh!" Starscream cautioned.

They all stopped speaking and watched in silence as she approached the arena and quickly docked Soundwave into one of the empty slots. Without a word, she turned and left out of the gathering chamber and into the deeper caves. Only Soundwave saw the tears as she left.

Megatron felt as if his spark was shattering. But he couldn't move to defend her, it would just put her on the hit list of his enemies.

"She's gone," Soundwave stated deceptively cool.

"You idiot!" Starscream started on the hapless Deadbolt.

"You will face me for your stupidity!" he said as all of the other images disappeared from the arena, leaving him facing the insulting mech. The fear on the other's face delighted the seeker as he approached.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Ellie was able to turn up the ramp before she broke into a run. There was only one being in the whole universe that could keep her heart from breaking into a billion pieces, and she instinctively ran to him. She was already launching herself into his arms before he could fully turn in her direction.

Bumblebee instinctively brought the girl up to his face when he felt her distress. Eagerly, she wrapped her arm around his neck and sobbed. Surprisingly, he could hear the hateful words she had overheard as if they were playing within his own audials. He didn't know if she was sharing the sounds through her implants, of if it was from their odd connection.

He felt his spark shattering at the depth of her sorrow. He knew that it wasn't, necessarily, what the mech had said, but the fact Megatron hadn't defended her that hurt her the most.

He cooed at her the best he could as he cursed his inability to talk to her. Even if they did have some sort of odd connection, sometimes, he knew, you needed to be able to hear the words.

"Why don't you take her back down into the lair," Hound said from the control panel of the shocker.

Gratefully, Bumblebee turned and nodded his head as best he could. He didn't want to dislodge her from her hug. He needed to give her some sort of comfort as much as she needed to take it. He turned and left the placement.


	24. Chapter Twenty Three

Chapter Twenty-three:

"So, anyone know anything about these guys we're meeting up with? Private First Class Deacon Fellowes asked of his assembled unit.

"They are all like us and just as determined to protect Angel from those aliens," Gunny Young informed his subordinate.

"Just out of curiosity, if these aliens are so evil, why is she even asking them for help instead of coming back to the doc?" the newest recruit, Airman Leslie Austin asked.

"She doesn't know any better," Young replied curtly.

"Their plan is to ingratiate themselves with the military and then use them to subjugate us all to slavery," Sergeant Goode explained.

"But, how do we know that's their plan?" she wanted to know.

"'Cause that's always their plan," replied a voice from the back of the transport.

"Alright, I'm going to share something with you guys that you must not have realized," Airman Austin started. "We, all of us, have been subjected to brainwashing. All of those so called video briefings were laced with subliminal messages saying the same thing over and over; 'the robot aliens want to enslave all humans.'

"Has anyone else with audial or optic implants noticed the message flashes?" she asked.

Slowly, everyone who had either implant, or both, raised their hands.

"Now, I was a trained psychologist one semester away from getting my degree when I had to enlist. My dissertation was on the historical use of subliminal messages to influence behavior and opinions. The messages are the classical method of doing that. Other methods include reinforcement tactics where the message is proven to be correct. These are usually staged or otherwise skewed to be proven correct.

"My personal opinion is that we are not being told the entire truth. I think we should keep that in the back of our minds when we go into this situation."

For a few minutes, no body moved or said anything. Then another voice from the front of the truck spoke up. "If you're right, then we can't trust anything we've been told, including each other. If you're wrong, then we can't trust you, or anyone else that might be in agreement with you. So, Doc Austin, what do we do?"

Expectantly, she looked up at the gunnery sergeant. He shrugged and trained his optics back on her.

"I would say we hang back. Let the others proceed ahead of us and watch how they are treated by the aliens. If they are treated cruelly, or mowed down ruthlessly, then we support their advance. If they are captured or otherwise not harmed, we support the aliens and try to figure out what is going on. If you don't want to support the aliens, then we can at least not fight them if they capture us."

"You know," Gunny Young started, "I was always wondering why I looked at the bodies of those robots with curiosity when we first started getting them, and then total terror the last several months. I think you may be right."

"She is right," a young army private volunteered.

"I didn't quite know how to tell you that I actually served with the Autobots. That's the faction that has allied with the U.S. military. I was injured in a maneuver in Shanghai, that's how I got my implants. Their leader, Optimus Prime, is an honorable being. He would never subjugate our species, and he definitely would never use a child to do so.

"I agree with Doc Austin's plan. We take up the backup position. Of course, we also have to make sure the casualties are minimized on both sides too."

"Alright! Anyone not on board with this plan?" Gunny asked his unit.

No one raised a hand.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Starscream gleefully pounded the hapless grounder into reset on four different occasions and was working on his fifth when Sentinel Prime materialized behind him.

"Enough seeker," he said as he grabbed the flier's arm.

Gratefully, the beaten mech winked out of the arena and regained his holo preserver. Quickly, when he realized everyone was continuing to glare at him, he shut himself down.

"You dare?" Starscream asked incredulously.

"Yes, I do dare Starscream. Continuing to beat Deadbolt into reset will only serve to move his opinions from open hatred, to festering resentment. That is what causes revolutions. Tell me, can you really afford another revolt on top of the one you are already fighting?"

"As I recall, you were the one that chose to beat down the dissenting opinions in the first place," he accused.

"I willingly admit it was my leadership that provided a fertile environment for this war to ignite. That is a regret I must continue to live with for the rest of my existence.

"However, I still firmly stand behind my belief all Cybertronians should be viewed as the superior species they are. We must remain united against the humans, be it the entire planet, or this single youngling. Fighting amongst ourselves weakens us exponentially."

"I think you are a liar," stated Shockwave as he flicked into the ring.

"You would try to pick another fight with me Shockwave?"

"No. I merely know you too well.

"The truth is, you and you alone view yourself as a god. I have even heard you compare yourself to Primus himself, and found him lacking. For millenia, you took your personal fear of inferiority and used it as an excuse to subjugate the lower castes. Now, you find you can no longer convince those you once held in such low regard to resume their places beneath your feet. Instead, you try to lure them into your position and promise them humans in their stead.

"Tell me, if you had succeeded in enslaving the human species, what would the other Cybertronians have gotten out of it? What achievement would they be able to hold on to? That they could crack their own whips louder than their comrades? They were able to kill more humans that didn't work fast enough than another shift? What? What would you have allowed your own people to build?

"No, you wanted to enslave the entire planet to rebuild our own so you alone could lay claim to rebuilding it. It was your own selfishness that killed our home world."

"Who are you to tell me what is within my own spark Shockwave? How dare you presume to dictate my motivations to me?" Sentinel Prime exclaimed.

"I am your creator Sirius Pulse. I have watched you from the time you were first spawned. I know what is within your spark because I gave it to you. You can lie to everyone here, including yourself, but you will not lie to me."

Stunned, at both the sound of his hatchling name and the vehemence of Shockwave's accusations, Sentinel Prime winked out of the arena in defeat. Were his actions truly borne out of a fear of inferiority? Was he truly trying to steal his own species' pride and achievements in the name of selfishness? He needed to think on these revelations.

A glower at Starscream had the seeker winking out of the arena hastily before Shockwave followed.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Ellie?" First Aid asked gently.

"Are you in pain?" he continued as he ran his medi scan over her.

Bumblebee shook his head slightly at the medic then tapped his own chest over his spark.

"Ah. Spark ache huh," he translated.

"Who in the universe hurt her now?" Livewire asked angrily.

Bumblebee projected a holographic image of Megatron in answer.

"Megatron? He would never . . ." Livewire started.

"He would," interrupted Bonecrusher. "Especially if it would keep her safe."

"What? How in the name of Primus would hurting the girl keep her safe?" First Aid asked in confusion.

"Simple, Megatron has a lot of enemies. If anyone knew he had any friendly feelings for the girl, she would be number one on their hit list as a way of getting to him. He quite honestly can't afford to care about her."

"There are a great many followers of Megatron who would crush their own spark casings to protect the girl if they knew he cared about her too, simply for the chance of getting in his good graces," First Aid observed.

"And how many of them would put her in danger in the first place just so they could rescue her?" Bonecrusher pointed out.

"I guess you've made a good point.

"Anyway, Ellie? Can you talk to me? I had a couple questions for you."

The girl loudly snuffled as she wiped her nose with the back of her hand. Miserably, she wiped her eyes off on her hoodie.

"What?" she asked as she turned around in Bumblebee's grip. Tiredly, she rested her head against the gentle scout's jaw plate.

"I have been reviewing several of the files Ratchet and Livewire have shared with me and I found something that hasn't been addressed."

Ellie's eye got decidedly shinier behind her sunglasses. She was wondering when someone was going to ask about it. "What?" she asked again.

"You said you found out the hard way you couldn't put a random essence matrix in the wrong body. Where did you get the body that taught you that lesson?"

Finally, she smiled. "You want to follow us?" she asked as she whispered the directions into Bumblebee's audial. "We'll show you."

Quickly, the scout brought her out of the lab and through the main chambers. When they got to the ramp, she directed them the opposite direction along a ledge. After about one hundred yards, she pointed through a wide passage. Bumblebee turned on his flood lights to illuminate the path.

"There's a generator along the back wall. I have lights already connected to it."

Easily, Livewire found the generator and started it up. Instantly, the chamber was bathed in light and revealed another large work area. Unlike her primary work room, this one appeared to be more of a clean room. In the center, was Bonecrusher's almost complete body.

"That's my body!" he said in confusion. "How did you get it here?"

"Maestro generated false paperwork when it was supposed to be dumped into the Laurentian Abyss that transferred it to sector seven. Of course, the address turned out to be an abandoned warehouse where Clyde picked it up and brought it back here. I've been working on it ever since."

Quickly, First Aid's medi scan played over the body. "You've done pretty well at restoring him. Just a few minor repairs and he should be ready to reactivate."

"No! I won't do it!" Bonecrusher said as he flew at his body. Angrily, he gripped at whatever exposed cables and sensors he could reach and began to rip them off.

"Boney!" Ellie said in fear and confusion.

Bumblebee gently set his passenger on her feet then grabbed the violent 'bot before he could do any more damage.

"No! I won't go back! I hate that body! Destroy it! Rip it apart! Use it for spare parts, I don't care!"

"Boney!" she addressed more forcefully. Without fear, she walked up to the flailing robot that immediately stopped his struggles when he saw her. "Boney. What's wrong with your real body?" she asked as she put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It's ugly and I hate it. I never want to go back to feeling like that again. I want to gain the attention of a femme I don't have to pay to be with me. I want friends that like me for my spark and not what damage they think I can do. I want to be able to sit with others and not scare them off when they look at me."

"Why do you think you're ugly?" Ellie asked innocently.

"Before the war started, I was a gladiator like Megatron," he started as he hugged the girl to his torso. "I was called 'Handsome Heavy' by the crowds. Eventually, I faced an especially cruel opponent and was roundly defeating him. Just as I was about to go in for the finishing move, he sprayed something on my face and head and it started eating away at the plating. In pain and anger, I grabbed the 'bot and crushed him between my hands. Eventually, since the match was over and I was still functioning, Shockwave pulled me out of the arena and was able to save my life. Unfortunately, he had to replace my head with this," he finished with a dismissive gesture at his body.

"Well, if that's all you're worried about, Bonecrusher," First Aid started, "I can give you a new head and face. Since this wasn't your original specification, that will be relatively easy. It may take a while though, what with the war using up our resources. But I swear to you as a medical professional, I will repair your head."

"And I promise to like you no matter what you look like," Ellie added.

"So, will you let me and First Aid finish fixing you? If it isn't going to take too long, in human terms that is," she asked of both 'bots.

"You promise you'll still like me?" he asked hopefully. At the girl's instant nod, he continued, "Go ahead and fix my body. I guess you're going to need my help to get the others' bodies anyway."

"That we will.

"It should take about three hours to finish the rest of the repairs, including what he just did to himself," the red and white medic addressed the girl.

"Okay, so you want me to get started redoing what he just did or do you want me to show you the others first?" she asked innocently.

"Others?"

"Yeah," she said as she led him to a long and narrow passage that led to a smaller cavern.

Easily, Bumblebee picked her up and put her back on his shoulder, his floodlights illuminating the way. When he reached the cavern, he stopped dead in the passage and let out a wail of surprise and grief.

"You know them?" she asked in surprise.

Wordlessly, he nodded and then approached hesitantly. He slowly sunk to his knees and looked longingly at the three bodies lying so still before him.

"I am really sorry, but there was nothing I could do," Ellie said as she stroked his jaw. "As you can see, they all had some sort of massive chest trauma. These two didn't even have their chest coverings, so it was easy to see the crystals in the center of the essence matrices were crushed.

"This last guy, I'm afraid I couldn't even open his chest to check. His coverings were just too badly damaged."

"By the Allspark! Bumblebee! Quick, get him out into the larger cavern," First Aid ordered.

Wordlessly, the yellow scout quickly, yet gently, deposited Ellie onto the floor and grabbed the last 'bot under the arms. First Aid grabbed his legs and they maneuvered him out into the larger chamber.

"What's going on? Did I do something wrong?" the girl started to panic.

"Oh no. You did something right. You got him out of the elements and had him sitting up so he didn't lose any more Energon than necessary.

"Unfortunately, in order to get to the majority of the damage, I'm going to have to lie him back down, which is going to drain his reserves."

"Can you open his chest coverings then? Maybe if I can put his essence matrix into a holo preserver, it will give you the time to repair his body without killing him, or would that not work?"

First Aid looked at Bumblebee in surprise then turned his attention to the child in awe. "Yes, yes that would work. But, I don't know how long he's been offline. Do you know how long it will take you to build one of these holo preservers?"

"Depends on how big his matrix is."

"He is about the same size as Soundwave."

"Then it will take me twenty-one minutes from start to finish," she said as she ran out of the cavern.

"Bonecrusher, it will take me a little over an hour to stabilize him. His damages are much more severe than yours, so I would like to stabilize him, and then finish your body. Is this acceptable to you?"

"Absolutely. By the way, who is it?"

First Aid looked at Bumblebee whose optics were definitely merrier. "Sunstreaker."

Bonecrusher took a few seconds to digest this new information, then started to laugh. "You might want to wait to tell Starscream. My understanding is they go way back, and not in a good way," he said as he trundled out of the cavern. "I'll text Prime about the survivor."

"Tell him not to tell Sideswipe yet."

Something about the way Bonecrusher phrased that niggled at Bumblebee, then he realized what it was. Quickly, he looked around and saw the large white board clear except for a list of items along one edge. He shifted out from behind Sunstreaker and leaned him up against Bonecrusher's body. Spying the dry erase marker, he gently pried off the lid and began to write his question for First Aid.

"You're right. I was so focused on Sunny being alive I didn't catch that 'survivor' crack either. Well Livewire?"

"When Ellie and the others first arrived here, one of the first things they did was scout the entire hill. Of every discovery they made, the one that excited her the most was a crash sight. My understanding is that this one and the unfortunate other two were the only ones she was able to get out.

"If there are any others, she didn't see them."

Bumblebee wrote another question on the board for First Aid to translate.

"He wants to know if you were here when they found them."

"No. Jukes got Ellie out of the facility, the spidrobots and I were shipped here later, after she was settled."

"Who else was with her when she discovered the crash?" First Aid asked.

"Probably Clyde and Soto; they would be the only ones big and strong enough to get them out."

First Aid's optics dimmed as he comm'd Hound. "Hound, there's an Autobot crash site somewhere on this hill. Flashlight and Splash died in the crash, but Sunstreaker is still alive. Clyde and Soto helped to get them out. Suggest you get a few mechs together and get one of them to help you search for any other survivors."

"Sunstreaker is still alive? He's been missing for several thousands of Earth years. How is that possible?"

"The girl saved him and didn't even realize it.

"I'll have Livewire get either Clyde or Soto to meet up with you in the junction."

"I'll get Prowl and Grapple to go with me and have Bumblebee take over for me here."

First Aid disconnected the com as the scout put the cap back on the marker and left.

"Can you notify either Clyde or Soto they will be needed to take Hound and a small party to this crash site? If Sunstreaker survived, then there may very well be others who have as well.

"I will be joining them as soon as I get Sunny stabilized."

"They both have agreed to help. They also wanted me to convey their absolute horror that there may be survivors within the wreckage that they didn't know to look for."

"Thank you. I'm certain that they would have torn the wreckage apart if they knew there were possible survivors."

"Here!" Ellie yelled eagerly as she ran into the cavern. Arcee, Jazz and Chromia hot on her heals.

"Oh dear Creation!" Arcee exclaimed when she saw the damaged Autobot.

"Sunny! It's Sunny! How is this possible?" Chromia whispered excitedly.

"Well I'll be!

"Will he be alright?" asked Jazz.

"I don't know yet. That's what the holo preserver is for; his body is badly damaged, so we are hoping that his spark will survive in the preserver while I fix it."

"Okay, if you can open his chest, I can pull out the matrix and put it on the preserver," Ellie directed First Aid.

With a sickening squeal of metal being wrenched and torn, the chest parted slowly. As soon as she could wriggle inside, she reached in with her cybernetic hand and pushed in the precise sequence to retract the connections from the body.

"I can tell you the crystal is glowing steadily, if not that brightly. Oh crap! First Aid, can you lift the left side of his chest out? One of the connections is caught between the plating and some sort of strut. Okay, that got it, just need another three inches to be able to pull it out."

Finally, the spherical structure lifted clear of the chest and into the girl's eager hands. Knowledgeably, she placed the matrix on the preserver and inspected the damaged connection.

"The good news is he doesn't need that connection at the moment. The bad news is we won't be able to turn him on until it's repaired."

Wordlessly, First Aid opened his own chest plates and removed the connection. "Here," he said as he handed it to her.

"What? Don't you need this?" she asked in alarm.

"Not in the least. I am a medi tech, which means I have several redundancies for most of my vital functions. Besides, my self-repair systems will replace it shortly."

"Sheesh! Must be nice, 'Go ahead, take a kidney, I can make more,'" she muttered under her breath as she replaced the piece.

The medic quirked an optic ridge at her words, but chose not to say anything. What little he observed about the child led him to believe she reacted out of concern.

"Okay, this guy just needs to spend twenty-four on the table and then he'll be good to go," she announced as she handed the new patient to Jazz. "Just make sure to keep an eye on the power read-outs."

Jazz wheeled out with Chromia following.

"So, that was odd," Ellie observed thoughtfully as she watched her two friends wheel back to the main caverns.

"What was odd?" First Aid asked as he began to quickly remove damaged circuits and conduits from Sunny's chest.

"The crystals in the center of that matrix looked as if it had been broken at some time in the past. But, it was still glowing."

"That's because he is Sideswipe's twin. It is the same as mono-zygotic twins in humans; they start out as one egg, and then split to form two different fetuses. In my kind, one spark can split into two smaller sparks, leaving a visible break."

"Oh. Neat!

"So, did Clyde and Soto take your guys to look for more survivors?"

"Yes. I am hopeful that there may be some. If Sunstreaker was able to survive without any sort of medical intervention short of the way he was positioned, it stands to reason he would not be the only survivor."

"Well, I'm glad I helped, even if I didn't know I was helping at the time."

"I am certain both Sunstreaker and Sideswipe will be as well."

"Maybe Sideswipe won't hate me now."

"Why do you think Sideswipe hates you?"

"Well, in order to get him to follow me to the industrial complex, we kinda, sorta had to make him mad enough to not give up."

"We?"

"I was riding Jukes at the time."

First Aid chuckled. "I am sure Sideswipe is angrier with himself than either of you. I believe the appropriate human expression would be his pride was bruised?"

Ellie smiled as she walked over to a corner and rolled out a spool of tubing with Arcee's help. "Will this work for his main lines?"

First Aid scanned the tubing and smiled. "That would be even better than standard Energon lines. And it looks like you have plenty."

Livewire and Arcee rolled out several other smaller spools of tubing of different diameters and the same specifications.

"These are wonderful! I could replace his entire circulatory system with all of this."

"How long will it take you to repair him?" she asked as she yawned behind her hand.

"It will take me at least two Earth days to completely repair him by myself. So, I am just going to stabilize his basic functions, which will take me a little more than an hour. After that, I am going to go up to the crash site and see if I can help out there. When that is done, I will finish repairing Bonecrusher's body and whoever else needs it."

"You really believe there are more survivors."

"Yes. It is probable there are."

"It is equally probable the entire bottom of the ship was crushed on impact and there aren't any," she said seriously.

"It is possible. But I chose to not consider that."

"In other words, you have faith."

First Aid thought about it for a moment. "I guess I do," he finally admitted.


	25. Chapter Twenty Four

Chapter Twenty-four:

"Jukes, I have just received a text from the lair. They said they found a survivor of an Autobot crash. Did you know about this?" Optimus Prime asked his passenger.

"I know about a crash, but there were no survivors," he answered in confusion.

"According to the text, my mechs Flashlight and Splash were killed in the crash, but a third, Sunstreaker, survived."

"He's alive?" Jukes asked in horror. "If we had known he was alive, we would have helped him much sooner. You see, his chest was crushed and we couldn't get access to his essence matrix. If we had, we would have seen he was still alive and Ellie would have moved heaven and Earth to repair him."

"I know that Jukes. I have spent enough time with the girl, and know my Autobots well enough to realize the girl tries to heal. I do not believe she would have wantonly allowed him to suffer.

"There is one thing I must ask of you though."

"Name it."

"Do not inform Sideswipe about this until we know Sunstreaker will survive."

"Of course. May I ask why?"

"Sunstreaker is Sideswipe's twin brother."

"What? He's a twin? How is that even possible?"

"I will have Ratchet explain it to you."

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Okay everyone, I'm through the corridor," Grapple said as he levered himself through the hatch on the other side.

"Report Grapple," Hound ordered. "What do you see in the main hold?"

"Sweet Primus! There are fifteen stasis pods in here. Three are destroyed from the impact it looks like. Two look like they lost power some time ago and one is empty. It looks like another one is empty, and one more, it looks like the occupant was put in injured. His power signs are all negative."

"Can you identify if any of the others survived? And who they are?" Hound asked as he made his way through the corridor.

"Standby.

"Okay, it looks like the remaining seven all have power readings, but I'm not sure what their status says. The displays all look like they're half shorted out. Probably from flying through the anomaly."

"Do you recognize anyone?"

"I can't get close enough to tell. I'm concerned that if I get too close, it will shift the balance and move the ship. Given how the hull is covered in stress fractures, it may very well kill anyone that may be alive."

"Alright. Where you, by chance, able to figure out which ship this is?"

"Yes sir! It's the Eight Track."

"The Eight Track?

"Clyde! Can you have Mike text Optimus and tell him the crash site has been identified as the Eight Track. We will let him know as soon as we do if there are any survivors."

"Mike said he's texting and received a message from Prime. He said he wants you to keep him abreast of all new information, and let him know immediately if Sunstreaker survives."

"Well, if he survived this long," First Aid said as he joined them with Ellie in tow, "he probably will pull through."

"That's good to know. Did you get him repaired yet?" Hound asked the medic.

"No. I have him stabilized right now and Ellie was able to put his spark in a holo preserver to give me the time to repair his body."

"Then what are you doing here?" Prowl wanted to know.

"I am here in case any potential survivors need immediate medical assistance," he said as he worked his way through the corridor. "Did you check these hatches to see if there were any more survivors in those rooms?"

"Yes. The first third of the hull was peeled off along the starboard side. There weren't any survivors in there. The port side held two bodies that we pulled out and set aside," Prowl continued.

"Yes. I saw them when we came up.

"So, what do we have in the hold?"

"Fifteen stasis chambers. Unfortunately, only seven of them appear to be functioning," Hound informed.

"Have you been able to get to them?"

"Negative. The hull is too unstable. I just can't get a clear enough reading to determine how terminal the stress fractures are," Grapple diagnosed.

"Hey! I know where we are," Ellie exclaimed happily.

"Yes . . . we are in the hold of a ship that crashed on your planet," Grapple replied slowly.

"Yes, but this hold is over a tunnel from the junction. I'd guess it's that collapsed tunnel," she replied just as slowly.

"So, mister smarty pants engineer guy," Ellie addressed Grapple, "would you like to see if we can get to those guys from underneath since it's too dangerous to try from here?"

He motioned back through the corridor, following First Aid. "I hate this miserable planet and its upstart species," he muttered in his native language.

"Well you did talk rather condescendingly to her," the medic answered.

"I'll stay here and monitor the chamber," Hound volunteered.

"Okay. Let us know the minute anything starts to shift," Grapple said in English.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Putting the phone away, she calmly began to pack up her belongings. She really was glad this assignment was over. She was almost starting to fall for that garbage the aliens were spouting off about self-determination. Maybe it was a good thing to be leaving now; she didn't want to be anywhere near this place when the units closed in.

Closing her locker with a soft click, she absently rubbed at the scar on her chest where her artificial heart beat steadily behind the metal ribs.

"Hey Stacey!" Mirage addressed her as she walked through the hangar. "You aren't going on any more dangerous dates are you?"

"Not anymore 'Raj," she addressed familiarly. "I'm just going to meet my friend's new baby."

"I'm afraid you aren't," he said sadly.

Quickly, she looked up at him in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"We have received the personnel files of Dr. Alistair Carlisle's subjects. Your name was included; artificial heart, lungs and ribs, correct?"

Briefly, she thought about throwing her bag at the troops closing in on her with their weapons drawn, and then dismissed the thought. Instead, she merely dropped her bag and raised her hands.

"It truly breaks my spark to do this Stacey," he addressed her with a gravelly voice.

"Save it you alien freak! I'm not buying your pathetic propaganda."

Mirage sighed heavily with regret. "Take her to the brig with the others."

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Thankful for the millionth time she was known for bringing in oversized purses, Dr. Alicia Eglin efficiently removed all personal traces of her existence from the small closet that served as her office. There wasn't that much, she only brought in generic articles that she found on the internet or in magazines.

Opening her private paper files, she opened each one and carefully removed the top sheets before she shredded the rest. Once she had all of the information she wanted, she stuffed it into her purse and dumped the shredded documents into the incinerator just outside her door.

Finally, she was going to be getting away from that sociopath and his absolutely psychotic obsession with torturing that poor little girl. The very idea he was blood to her made Alicia cringe. If the prophecies were true, the idiotic genius did not have long to live. That idea made the woman smile with cruel delight. Any being that would treat the key so inhumanely deserved to die a slow and painful death.

The phone ringing on her desk brought her out of her thoughts. "Yes?" she asked as she picked it up.

"Doctor Eglin, we wanted to let you know we haven't received the clear code from any of our undercover people," the voice on the other end informed her.

"Any destruction signals?"

"Yes ma'am. Just from Major Ellison's implant."

"Activate the cleaning protocols for Airman Carey," she ordered in a clipped tone. "If you don't hear from Ensign Mahoney in thirty minutes, activate them for her as well."

"Yes ma'am."

Dr. Eglin hung up the phone in disgust. The one thing she hated was wasting human life. Unfortunately, she knew it was the kinder thing to do when the alternative was torture by the alien infidels. She didn't want any human to be subjected to the insult of turning against their own, or accepting slavery when it could so easily be prevented.

Sighing, she left her office to oversee the newest batch of patients. This group proved to be promising, at least according to their records.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Airman Jacob Cary paced back and forth in his cell. He was still surprised the aliens hadn't tortured him yet. He figured they were just waiting until their prime got back to oversee his humiliation.

But still, General Lennox's words rang in his ears; if these aliens were so bad, why did they bother to save the humans he told them about? He knew it was the truth. He had read and downloaded their files among the rest of the assigned personnel's when he was first assigned.

Maybe, he had been lied to. Maybe, they were playing on his innate fears. Maybe . . .

The severe pain he felt behind his eye was the only warning he received before his implant exploded.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

The sound of the alarm coming from N.E.S.T. headquarters had Barricade scanning the immediate area for incoming threats. When he found nothing, he deployed his extra sensitive listening equipment and trained it on the building.

" . . . Where the hell is the threat?" he identified the voices of the guards. He adjusted his range and listened some more.

" . . . Lock it down! Lock it down! It's a bomb . . . after prisoners . . ."

" . . . Where'd it come from? How'd they get it in?"

" . . . Casualties?" he heard General Lennox asking someone. He focused his equipment on his conversation.

"Airman Cary sir. I was watching his cell, he was pacing and then suddenly stopped and grabbed his eye. Next thing I know there's a cloud around his head and he just falls over."

"It had to have been his implant. It was probably rigged to blow when it received a signal or something to keep him from talking. Have Dr. Zadak examine Ensign Mahoney for an explosive device and tell Mirage and Dino to arrange some sort of dampening field around her so she doesn't receive a similar signal."

Barricade put his listening equipment away and started his engine. He knew the local authorities would be responding, so he took the opportunity to use their presence to cover his withdrawal. He figured there was no such danger to the child, and even if there was, he knew the Autobots would deal with it. After all, she had been outside of Carlisle's control for over five years and hadn't died yet. He figured if she had had such a fail-safe, it would have been activated long before now. If he were to speculate, he would guess that her escape and evasion of the good doctor was probably what convinced him of the necessity of such technology.

He turned on his lights and accelerated toward the freeway. He had done what he had set out to do; soon, the Autobots would be facing a threat they didn't even know they had.


	26. Chapter Twenty Five

**A/N:**_ So, finally was able to get this chapter to cooperate. Was also able to start on Chapter 26 too, but that will have to wait until tomorrow. Hopefully, it won't give me as many problems as this one did. Tracy_

Chapter Twenty-five:

First Aid spared a glance at the girl's form curled up in the corner. She had fallen asleep almost an hour ago. He was both grateful for her help, but just as frustrated that she didn't seem to take her own health seriously. He expelled a huff of air from his vents in his frustration; not only was Ellie selfless to the point of martyrdom, but the damage to Sunstreaker's chest was proving to be more extensive than he had initially thought.

The sound of Cybertronian sized footfalls caught his attention. He looked up and saw Bumblebee peer in questioningly.

"It's okay Bumblebee. I'm in between delicate surgeries on Sunstreaker at the moment."

The scout walked in and stopped short when he saw the girl sleeping in a huddle in the corner.

First Aid saw the look of pure devotion enter into the optics of the young mech as he looked at their new ward. It was rather odd, if you asked him, that Bumblebee could be so attached to anyone so quickly. As far as he knew, they only just formally met yesterday.

"How are you so attached to her already?" he asked in curiosity.

Bumblebee reluctantly pulled his attention from the sleeping form to assess the medic. He didn't know the mech that well, but Ratchet spoke highly of him. That was all he needed to share his suspicions.

He looked longingly at the girl again, then moved to the white board set up in the corner. He opened the dry erase marker and began writing; "Almost ten Earth years ago, when we were on the way here, I experienced a cybernetic lock with someone. They were experiencing catastrophic injuries to both legs and their left audial and optic. Toward the end of the lock, I felt this other's left arm being amputated before they must have lost consciousness. I realized it was the girl after she helped me on the battlefield three days ago."

"That's impossible! She's human, the only way you could have had a cybernetic lock with her is if you share spark energy," First Aid tried to argue.

Bumblebee erased the board and started to write again; "When I met her yesterday, she could hear my thoughts."

"Oh Bumblebee," the medic consoled, "I'm sorry that you are bound to someone with such a short life span."

He shrugged and wrote; "Don't the shortest lived stars burn the brightest? Now that I have her, I will take the few decades we have together and make them the brightest memories in my entire existence."

"You are a much nobler mech than I could ever hope to be," he said as he patted the scout on the shoulder.

"So says the pacifist," he wrote with a chuckle.

"Why don't you take Ellie to her room, a human child of her age should be getting at least nine hours of sleep a night."

Bumblebee put the top back on the marker and eagerly approached her sleeping form. Gently, he scooped her up and held her closely to his chest plates. He was pleased when she barely stirred as he lifted her.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Livewire was heading toward the clean room, now redubbed the surgical bay by First Aid, when he met up with Bumblebee carrying a sleeping Ellie.

"Do you know how long she's been asleep?"

Bumblebee shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, it couldn't have been more than an hour or so," the medi tech mused. "Come on. Let's get her to bed. Her room's this way," he motioned as he led the way.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Optimus, the girl has been moved to your private quarters. I posted the twins to guard her," Jolt told his leader as he got off the elevator to the subterranean levels.

"Thank you Jolt. Are you certain she has everything she would need?"

"Yes Optimus; there is a human sized berth set up in your own private sleeping chamber, water, food and appropriate necessities within the human sized elimination room."

"Very good. Make sure to keep an eye on the twins, I don't want them to get into another one of their fights and disturb her."

Jolt nodded as he headed back toward Optimus' quarters. The sound of escalating voices made him hurry as the twins began yet another argument. He just hoped he could rein them in before they disturbed the guest.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

The former soldier smiled from his position on the runway behind the base. Fortunately, they had left their C-17's out for quick deployment if it was necessary, so they had plenty of cover and hiding spots.

"This is ear three," said the troop. "Freaks are talking about a girl under guard in king freak's quarters. Orders?"

"Any eyes on the girl?" asked the disembodied voice of the strike commander.

"This is eyes one. Saw a human figure with a hood covering their face and long dark hair coming out when they came in. Couldn't tell gender or age."

"Continue to listen for confirmation of identity. All teams stand by."

"Strike commander, this is tech two. My camera is in king freak's quarters; identity is confirmed. Package on site, repeat, package is there."

"Copy tech two.

"All teams move in. Engage! Engage! Engage!"

Quickly, team three moved like the efficient killing force they were; they threw the explosive compound onto the closed hangar doors and took cover as the doors exploded inward, before the dust had even settled, they were moving, throwing flash-bang grenades inside in an effort to subdue any humans and confuse the sensors of any robot that might be there as well. The shouts from within the structure were expected as the human team tried to regain their footing after the initial confusion.

The shouts of the strike team as they streamed in covered the sound of the ambush teams coming in behind them. They neutralized the guards covering the rear with brutal blows to helmets. They allowed the strike team to quiet before they made their move, swarming in after them like a hive of angry bees.

"On the ground! Let's go!" was heard from the newly arriving units as they surrounded the teams and held their weapons on them.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"This is Angel one, in place," SrA Austin stated as she moved into position at the rear of the facility. She listened as the rest of her team reported their positions to the strike commander.

The entrance went off like clockwork, they saw from their position hiding near the rear fence. Then, the N.E.S.T. operatives appeared out of the adjacent hangars and quickly surrounded the engaging teams.

"Backup teams, engage!" came the order from the strike commander.

"Anyone see the engagement?" Gunny Young asked.

"Affirmative," Austin said. "They did not engage, all humans."

"Work the plan," he answered quickly.

Slowly, the backup teams approached the facility. As soon as they reached the lighted area of the tarmac, one of the robots spotted them and alerted the rest.

"Halt!" came the order from several members of the opposing forces.

Austin and her team complied by stopping their forward progress, but maintained their weapons.

"My name is Leslie Austin. We want to speak with the boss 'bot before anyone gets hurt," she called out clearly.

"Lower your weapons and maybe we'll let you," a cocky voice negotiated from the opposition.

"We've stopped as ordered, we aren't about to leave ourselves defenseless to the overzealous likes of you."

"What are you doing?" the strike commander asked through her implant just before the connection suddenly severed.

"Strike commander down. Continue as planned," Gunny Young informed a moment later.

"It's alright Fletcher," a velvet voice advised from the neighboring hangar. The sound of metal feet walking across the tarmac silenced him.

"I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots. You wished to address me Leslie Austin?"

"Yes sir. We are a part of the first unit of the Carlisle Security team. We have been deployed to retrieve and protect Maimed Angel. Will you turn her over?"

"No. We, also, are protecting her. However, we are protecting her from Dr. Carlisle. Tell me, are you aware of whom she truly is?"

"She's the first soldier to become a viable cyborg. Without her, none of us would be here."

"I'm afraid you are mistaken. She is the twelve year old niece of Dr. Carlisle. She may be the first viable cyborg, as you say; but she was three when it occurred."

"What?

"Fellowes?"

"It has to be true. He wouldn't lie about that unless he was lied to first."

"Gunny Young? Did you hear that?"

"Affirmative," gunny responded. "I hate to say this, but I believe him.

"Inform them I'm bringing in the strike commander and his subordinate via the front door. All personnel surrender to the robots; I don't trust the human soldiers."

"Copy," she addressed him.

"My unit commander is bringing in the strike commander and his subordinate via the front door," she addressed Optimus Prime. "We have been ordered to surrender to your forces, but not the humans," she said as she proceeded to drop her clip on the ground and clear the round in the chamber. The sound of her team following suit echoed off the metal walls of the buildings and planes.

"Very well.

"Sideswipe, Jukes, Ratchet, relieve them of their weapons," he ordered.

"I should probably warn you," Austin started, "we've been undergoing subliminal manipulation to increase our fear of you. You might want to allow for that."

"If that's true," Ratchet informed him, "then these humans will be more likely to engage in desperate measures to escape us, including suicide."

"Then we will place them under," he paused as he researched the web for the proper terminology, "suicide watch. I'll defer to your judgment as to who should be posted."

Optimus turned and walked back into the hangar. Now that the primary military weapon of the doctor had been captured, it was time to question the spy.


	27. Chapter Twenty Six

**A/N:**_ Sorry it took me so long to get this updated. Please be aware that I updated Chapter Twenty-five yesterday, the only new part is the last POV change. _

_Before anyone starts asking about why Ellie would listen to such old music, just keep in mind she doesn't have access to a radio because it interferes with her audial implant, so the only music she really can listen to are the old records she happens to have. _

_Songs referenced are "Daisy a Day," by Jud Strunk (popular in Ireland during the '70's), and the Monkees "Daydream Believer," (from __1967). Both songs have videos available via youtube if you want to actually hear them. Also, since my parents had both 45's I can confirm that the Monkees' song does start out with a conversation about __the number.__ (No infring__e__ment is intended or implied against these songs. No financial gain received.) RIP Davey Jones._

Chapter Twenty-six

What is it? Bumblebee was thinking to himself. Cautiously, he approached the device and studied it, cocking his head this way and that to see it from different angles. It had a giant metal lily bloom sitting on top of a wooden box with a crank coming out of its side. Gently, he grasped the handle and turned the crank. He was disappointed when nothing appeared to happen, until he bumped it and a circular device began to rotate between the wooden base and the metal flower.

He watched it for a few moments, waiting for something else to happen. When nothing else did, he gently bumped it again. A round arm fell forward to land on the rotating circle and a loud screech came out of the flower. In surprise, he jerked back and fell, landing on his aft.

The sound of feminine laughter from behind him had him scrambling to stand up again, making him smack his head against the wall of the cave. Stunned, he landed hard on his posterior and scooted his legs around so he could see who was able to sneak up on him.

"Don't worry Bumblebee," Arcee said between snickers, "I'll protect you from the Victrola."

A collection of tones that sounded a lot like the phrase, "Don't do that," was his answer. Regaining his composure, he pointed at the device and shrugged his shoulders.

"As I said," she answered, still chuckling, "it's called a Victrola. It is a very old device used to play pre-recorded sounds. In this case, vinyl discs called albums." She approached the Victrola by skirting his outstretched legs.

She picked up the arm that had fallen and began to explain; "This arm has a needle that rides along in the grooves of the album that translates as sound. The speaker here amplifies it enough to be heard at a comfortable distance. These two forty-five albums are Ellie's favorites."

He warbled and cocked his head.

"'Forty-five' means they play at a speed of forty-five revolutions of the turntable here per minute. There are three speeds; forty-five, thirty-three and seventy-two."

Frantically, he motioned to her to play the records.

"Okay. They only can play one at a time. I'll come back to change it when the first one is done. I am going to change out the sparks so the others can get a little bit of exercise while the first group gets some recharge," she informed as she put a blue labeled disc on the turntable and lowered the arm.

Bumblebee ignored Arcee's retreating form and listened intently as the first notes started through the static. Easily, he was able to clean up the signal and determine the subject. The unmistakable sound of a banjo informed him he was going to hear a song.

"He remembers the first time he met her," the male's voice started. "He remembers the first thing she said, he remembers the first time he held her, and the night that she came to his bed."

Whoa! What? He thought. What is a human child doing listening to this? He was curious. Didn't humans view this particular topic as taboo? Maybe it isn't as bad as I believe, he hoped.

"He remembers her sweet way of sayin' 'Honey, has somethin' gone wrong?' He remembers the fun and the teasin', and the reason he wrote her this song; I'll give you a daisy a day dear, I'll give you a daisy a day. I'll love you until the rivers run still, and the four winds we know blow away."

He listened to the rest of the song and flagged a note in his processor to record a cleaner version the next time he had internet access. "Daisy a Day" by Jud Strunk, he recorded. It was a sweet concept, he concluded. Giving someone you love a flower every day for the rest of your existence. Now he knew why she liked the song, and he would bet she liked daisies too.

When the song was finished, Arcee came over as promised and swapped out the albums. This one had a red label that said "Daydream Believer" by The Monkees. He chuckled at the opening conversation before the first notes of the song floated from the speaker.

"Oh, I could hide, 'neath the wing of the bluebird as she sings," the male voice sang as he leaned back against the wall and offlined his optics.

This one seemed a lot sweeter to him. Perfect for a little human girl, he thought as he allowed himself to fall into a light recharge. He could rest and record, he decided.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Running. She had to hide. Quiet! She couldn't let him find her again. Breathlessly, Ellie ran down the never ending alley, trying to open doors on either side. She came to a dumpster and tried to duck behind it, only to watch it disappear in front of her.

There, a light coming from a window. Eagerly, she climbed through and turned around to shut it, only to see the face of her Uncle Al peering in at her. Frantically, he tried to reach through the window, only to be too big to fit. In desperation, she fled through the door into a giant stone hallway.

A door, at the far end. She reached for it and opened it, only to discover it was a refrigerator with Megatron frozen inside.

"No!" she screamed. "Papatron! Please don't leave me alone again!" she cried in anguish.

The sound of a cane tapping along down the hall had her hastily running again, leaving the door open in the hopes it would allow him to melt. Quickly, she turned a corner and lost her footing, sliding into the opposite wall. The feel of an unfamiliar hand picking her up had her struggling to free herself.

"No! Let me go!" she screamed as she maneuvered herself into a position to see her captor.

"Ellie!" the dear voice of Soundwave reached through her fear.

"Boomer?" she asked tentatively as she opened her eyes

"Find the scout," he instructed. "Soundwave will engage," he finished as he gently sat her down on her feet and turned to face the direction of the threat.

"But what if he freezes you?" she couldn't leave until she knew he'd be safe.

"You will thaw me," he answered as he turned to face her and briefly turned off one optic in the semblance of a wink.

Satisfied, she continued down the hall, screaming for Bumblebee as she ran.

Rounding a corner, she tripped and almost fell when it turned into the gathering chamber of the lair. Sitting against the wall with his optics dark was Bumblebee.

"Bumblebee!" she screamed as she ran to him.

His optics came back on instantly and he jumped to his feet, arming his canon and lowering his battle mask as he did.

"Where's the threat?" she heard him say. "What's wrong?"

"Uncle Al is after me!" she cried. "Boomer is holding him off and told me to find you. Please don't let him get me!" she begged.

Gently, he scooped her up and set her on his shoulder.

"Where is he?" he asked.

"Back there in the giant stone hallway," she pointed back through the workroom.

Bumblebee looked at her strangely, but cautiously crept forward. He turned the corner and stopped short when it became as she had described. Standing at the other end was Soundwave with his weapons fully deployed and his visor down. When he began to fire, Bumblebee put her down and told her to find someplace to hide. She ran down to the end of the hall and through the vaguely familiar doors where it dead ended.

Ducking inside, Ellie closed the doors and slowly backed up. Bumble told her to hide, so she frantically searched around the dark corners and realized she was in a library. She turned around in a complete circle to take everything in when she stopped and stared at the older woman sitting quietly in a wing backed chair. She glanced around again before it registered where she was; the library of her grandmother's home.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Grandma?" she asked timidly.

"Of course Urielle. Can't you sleep tonight?" she asked concernedly.

Ellie shook her head and slowly approached.

Her grandmother held out her arms in loving welcome and embraced the girl tightly when she launched herself onto her lap.

"Let me tell you a story," she started.

"Far away, beyond the stars, there is a metal world. It grows and lives and breathes and bleeds, 'neath endless stars unfurled. The world will grow and shine and glow until it faces doom, then come to Earth her children will to find their living boon. The land of metal will start to die, crumble and hold still, 'til living kin of ancient lands shall welcome kin of steel. A gentle leader, a learned prime, will lead a motley crew, across the stars to find their source and claim a home anew. The home, once old, will be reborn to welcome war torn brothers, and old home guarded by family's sway, will, again, welcome lost others."

Ellie listened raptly as her grandmother recited the poem. "Can I hear the one about veracity next?" she asked eagerly.

Her grandmother laughed softly. "Next time Urielle. Now, Bumblebee is going to put you back to bed, and both he and Soundwave will guard you against bad dreams tonight. Optimus will be back to protect you tomorrow and forever after that," she said as she stood up and handed her off to the yellow mech. "Sleep well sweetie," she said as she kissed her on the forehead.

"I love you grandma," she said before she could turn around.

Her grandmother smiled sweetly. "I love you too Urielle." With that, she returned to her chair and Ellie was lost to a contented oblivion.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Soundwave turned his hologram on with a surprised flicker. For six minutes and twelve seconds, he recorded a series of events that were, quite simply, impossible; he was facing down a strange shadow that was chasing the girl, then he was watching an elder human female recount a poem to the child about a metal world dying and the inhabitants finding a new home here.

Curious, he looked over to the hastily awakening scout as the last chorus of the song echoed around the chamber. He watched stoically as the yellow mech looked over to where he was docked on the recharge table and their optics met and held.

He saw the young 'bot stand unsteadily and approach. They watched each other for a moment, each debating whether or not the other knew about the strange data dump.

It had to have been from the girl. One of her nightmares, Soundwave thought. Now that he knew what they entailed, he was grateful his kind generally didn't have them. No wonder they frightened her, most of what they entailed were impossibilities.

Without a word, Soundwave turned his hologram off and dismissed the scout. He knew the youngling would guard the girl, even if it was from her own subconscious. But this raised a different question for him; how did it even happen? How did the girl pull him into her dream so he actually experienced it with her? He would analyze it later; right now, he would recharge and approach it with a fresh processor in the morning.


	28. Chapter Twenty Seven

**A/N:**_ So, here is the next chapter. Hope you guys enjoy it. Feel free to let me know how I did and if I repeated anything. As for the next update, starting my second job this weekend, so things might be a bit hectic and chapters a little slower in coming. But believe me, they will be written and posted. Thanks for reading, Tracy_

Chapter Twenty-seven

"You have been lying to us," General Lennox started on the figure before him. "So, how long have you been carrying on with Dr. Carlisle?"

"It's been over a year now," Advisor Agosto admitted.

"What have you told him about the girl?" Optimus asked from above them.

"Yeah! Did you give him all of our proof like a good little spy?" Lennox chimed in.

"I didn't believe he was capable of it! Even when I saw those videos and heard his voice, I thought it was some sort of mistake. I took copies of some of the videos to him and asked him to explain. He wouldn't.

"I swear, I didn't tell him anything about where she is. I don't even know myself, so how could I?"

"Did you inform him of her illness?" the Prime asked curiously.

"No. Until I saw her for myself, I couldn't verify to him that she is sick."

"So, why did you warn us about the impending attack?" Lennox wanted to know.

"When we were together, he got a phone call from his assistant, Alicia. When he got off the phone, he told me they had received two locating signals from her within an hour. He said they were within the same vicinity as this base. I heard him order a full assault as soon as her presence was established. I had to warn you because I didn't hear him say anything about ensuring her safety. Not to mention the fact he was almost salivating at the thought of getting his hands on your technology. I finally realized he only saw her as a thing; a subject of an inhumane and unconscionable experiment. He has no emotions and frankly, I don't think he is capable of feeling any."

"You sit tight," Lennox said as he turned and left the room with the Autobot leader following.

"Do you believe her boss 'bot?"

"Yes. Her pulse, respirations and voice inflections indicate that she is not deceitful."

"Right, I forgot you guys are walking lie detectors. So, what do we do now?"

"We attempt to determine what her future intentions are. I believe she may prove a valuable ally yet. It is highly probable she allowed her emotions to overcome her logic. Hopefully, it was a temporary lapse."

"I really hope you're right."

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Status?" Barricade barked as he entered the abandoned warehouse that was serving as his temporary base.

"Reports from Skywarp indicate the humans were unsuccessful in their raid attempt," Lugnut advised. "Thundercracker and Bitstream report no change as of yet in their assignment."

"Keep me posted about any new developments. I'm going to see if I can hack in to the feed they have been using on the girl. Maybe it will give us a clue about what the good doctor is planning."

Lugnut inclined his head as the black and white left the room. The mech was brilliant, he thought to himself. He would never have thought to manipulate humans against the Autobots. No wonder he was in charge and the Deceptacon movement was still going forward. He turned his attention back to the communications relay. It wouldn't do to miss something important Barricade might need to know, and he wasn't sure what his best friend would find important. Best to just record it all and let him decide.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Maestro intercepted the distress call from the strike team. He was pleased to hear that the first division had decided to go against Dr. Carlisle's orders. Taking the liberty of protecting Ellie, he creatively edited the message to exclude the last part where they were identified as betraying the mission. Just to be thorough, he accessed the link to their audial and optic implants and set up firewalls to prevent remote download of what they heard and saw.

Having protected these new protectors, he set about removing another threat from her resources; he easily alerted the sentries in the command center that his security feeds had been hacked and centered the location and time to a terminal Dr. Elgin had been using. To sweeten the pot, as the humans say, he restored the hard drive, less the firewall she was using to guard her personal project, she had reformatted. Then, putting in a few simple traps to erase the data when triggered, which of course could then be retrieved, he finished.

Now that that was done, he thought to himself, time to begin phase three of Ellie's plan. He hacked into Dr. Carlisle's personal email and sent new orders to the scientists. Setting back to watch the newest chaos he created, he flagged a note in his processors to send her a text when she could implement phase four.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"So what's this all about?" Fig asked Two-ten as they filed into the briefing room.

"Not entirely sure," she answered. "There's a rumor going around that the numbered divisions were captured by the alien robots."

"What? Why would they even engage them?"

"No clue. Something about a rescue mission. Guess we're going to have to wait and find out with the rest of the group."

Fig took his seat next to J.J. and began to look around at everyone assembled. That's when it struck him; everyone in the room had exposed implants. No wonder they all got jobs working with Dr. Carlisle, no one else would ever want to even look at them, let alone work with them. He wondered if the guy did it on purpose, just to make sure they had nowhere else to go.

"Room, ten hut!" a soldier stationed by the door bellowed as the man in question walked in with the help of a cane.

"Be seated," he said just loud enough to be heard as he took his place behind a podium.

He waited until the room had quieted of the sound of movement before he began to speak.

"Men," he began, "we have suffered a grave set back. Approximately six hours ago, the numbered divisions were captured in a rescue attempt against the N.B.E. stronghold in Washington D.C. No information has been made available concerning what happened to them. We do not know how many, if any, survived, or if they were captured.

"The mission, as I stated, was a rescue attempt. The subject was Maimed Angel.

"It came to my attention that the subject had been captured by the N.B.E.s recently. We only discovered this information, along with the location, last night and moved immediately to attempt recovery. It was, obviously, unsuccessful."

"There's a world of difference between rescue and recovery," Fig muttered to J.J.

"I know," he breathed back.

"What's the difference?" Flaherty asked from the other side of Fig.

"You try to rescue a living body. You recover the dead or a thing," Fig answered lowly.

"Shh!" a troop from in front of them hushed.

"We have further been made aware," Dr. Carlisle continued, "that there has been a breach of trust within this organization. My very own assistant, Dr. Alicia Elgin, has been engaging in her own experiment; she has been using you as her subjects in a subliminal behavioral modification attempt. The modification she has been attempting was to encourage you to fear the N.B.E.s through subliminal messages.

"I must emphasize that I had no knowledge of this, and it was done without my consent. Therefore, I am ordering the immediate lock down of the compound. No one is to enter or leave without prior authorization, and Dr. Elgin is to be apprehended on sight. This means there will be an increased presence on security details. I'll leave you to your supervisors for new assignments.

"That is all," he finished as he turned and limped back out the door.

"You really think he didn't know about the subliminal thing?" Fig asked.

"That's what he said," J.J. answered.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Hound was absolutely relieved when he only had to drive five minutes before he was outside of the dead zone. Gratefully, he turned into a large dirt pull off and sent the com to Optimus.

"Hound to Optimus Prime," he signaled.

"Hound? How did you get a signal?"

"I left Prowl in charge of the lair and went for a drive far enough to get out of the dead zone. I have an update for you when ready."

"Go ahead."

"The girl is fine and was sleeping when I left.

"Hot Rod has been able to get your flight deck back online, but the rest of your trailer was put on hold while he hot-wired the generator in the lab. We're using it to stabilize and restore the power to the stasis chambers. Their viewers remain offline, so we still don't know who's inside of them.

"Sunstreaker's spark is stable and has an eighty-three percent chance of pulling through. First Aid is having a hard time with his body though, he said he's repairing the major issues, but he's not been able to get his self-repair systems up. Thinks that a lack of Energon has offlined the nano's and he needs a transfusion to restore them, as well as some more Energon.

"Finally, Ironhide wants permission to start dismantling the _Eight Track_'s weapons systems to add to the lair's defenses."

"Very well," Optimus replied. "We should be leaving tomorrow afternoon and will bring an additional supply of Energon for Sunstreaker and the 'bots still in stasis.

"Ironhide has my permission to use the _Eight Track_'s weapons to bolster the lair's defenses. Try to salvage the rest of it though. Who knows when we will need another vehicle capable of space flight again?

"Tell Hot Rod that supporting our fallen comrades is paramount. He can return to my trailer when he has the time and the stasis chambers are stable.

"I will deploy Sideswipe at oh-four hundred Earth local. He would be the best source for a transfusion for Sunstreaker.

"Is there anything else I need to know?"

"Yeah, there is one thing I forgot to mention; Ellie was able to have Bonecrusher's body delivered to an abandoned location. Her Clyde retrieved it and she was able to repair it, so when you guys get here, be prepared to see him in all his Deceptacon glory."

"Understood. Out," Optimus terminated the transmission.

Hound paused long enough to retrieve the data burst Blaster had sent to him regarding the new base. It almost made him feel guilty when he found out the girl had provided for just about all of their needs, and here he was trying to get her in trouble with his prime about Bonecrusher.

He shook off the unease the thought caused. It was his job as an Autobot to protect his prime from harm, and he just didn't know the girl well enough to trust her.

Starting his engine, he pealed out of the pull off with a spray of rocks and dirt as he turned around and headed back to the lair. He was doing his duty, he thought to himself. So why did he feel like a slime ball?


	29. Chapter Twenty Eight

**A/N:**_ Sorry about the transition type chapters. Unfortunately, I am writing this as it's unfolding in my head, and it seems to be playing out like a movie. This chapter is pretty much just an introduction by fire for Epps. And Ellie is growing up! My sweet little character baby! As always, let me know what needs improving, revamping or reducing. Tracy 4/4/12_

Chapter Twenty-eight

"Sunny's alive? And you didn't tell me?" Sideswipe asked incredulously. "Why?"

"We did not know he would survive," Optimus informed. "We did not want to get your hopes up, as the expression states."

"He's my twin! I had the right to know!"

"Yes, you did.

"The decision not to tell you was my own. Blame me if you must, just know that the reason he is still alive in the first place is because of Ellie. She saved him."

Sideswipe vented angrily through his intakes. "So, why didn't she tell us about them when we arrived?"

"We did not ask. We also were a bit sidetracked by other issues, if you will recall. She also believed they were dead."

"What's his condition now?"

"When I last spoke with Hound, he stated he had an eighty-three percent chance of survival and his spark was removed from his body to increase it to those odds. First Aid is working on his body and is having issues with his self-repair systems; his nano's seem to be offline and he requires a transfusion."

"That's why you're telling me about him now; so I can provide the transfusion."

"Yes.

"I also wish to make one request of you as well."

"What?" Sideswipe asked cautiously.

"Would you please stop to pick up Robert Epps on your way? He will be at a motel on your route. We will pick up his vehicle later today."

"I suppose. At least he can keep me company on the ride."

"Thank you. We will also be sending some Energon with you to help Sunstreaker and our comrades still in stasis."

"Yeah. That's fine. Can I head out now?"

"As soon as we have you loaded."

Sideswipe transformed before Optimus could finish. He really wanted to get to his twin.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Bonecrusher was grateful to Jazz; it was considerate of him to give up his turn at Ellie's bedside. After today, he knew he wouldn't be able to fit in here, he would have his original body after all.

The groaning from the bed caught his attention. He was glad she seemed to have a good night last night, hopefully, it wasn't due to exhaustion.

She groaned again and began to stretch. He moved out of his spot by her bedside and moved her shoes closer to her bed; he knew she was self-conscious about her foot pads. Making certain they were in the right position, he grabbed up her sunglasses and began to move around her chamber to gather her bathing supplies and a change of clothing.

"What time is it?" she wanted to know on a groan.

"Eight twenty-six," he replied helpfully as he got the last of her things.

"I guess I'm not gonna get back to sleep," she grumbled as she pushed the covers back and sat up, automatically finding her shoes and slipping them on.

"It is unlikely." He moved forward and handed her her clothing and supplies.

"Thanks," she mumbled as she got up and put the glasses on her nose. She opened the curtain and trudged out into the corridor.

Bonecrusher watched her go for a few minutes before he began to make her bed. Pulling back the covers, he was startled when he saw the red smears on them. Quickly analyzing the stain, he grabbed them up and began to yell for Livewire.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

First Aid was carrying the chest coverings for Sunstreaker into the lab/med bay to pound the dents out when Bonecrusher ran right into him.

"Bonecrusher? What's wrong?" he asked in concern.

"What? What's wrong?" Livewire asked as he ran out of his clinic.

"Look! This was on Ellie's bed this morning. She's going to die!" he stated in distress as he waved the stained covers in front of their optics.

"What are you talking about?" First Aid wanted to know.

"She's bleeding again! Livewire said that if she started to bleed again, he didn't know if he could help her anymore."

Livewire took the bedding from the aggravated 'bot and unfolded it. Running a few calculations about the location of the blood stain, he began to chuckle.

First Aid ran his medi-scanner over the spot and then looked at his spindly colleague. "How old is she?"

"Twelve. I believe she has reached adolescence."

"What are you two talking about and why aren't you upset!" Bonecrusher demanded.

"Just a minute and I will explain it to both of you," Livewire said as Ellie's terrified scream echoed through the caverns.

"Livewire! Help! I think I'm hemorrhaging!" she screamed as she entered the main corridor.

The small mech gently stopped her and hugged her close. She clutched him in desperation as the tears began to leak out from under her glasses.

"No, no, Ellie," he soothed. "There's nothing to worry about with this."

"What?" she exclaimed as she pulled away from him. The sound of heavy metal footfalls drew her attention.

Responding to the terror he felt in his Spark, Bumblebee ran into the workroom and stopped short when he saw the group standing in a cluster. They were surrounding an obviously terrified girl. One look at the tears dripping off her cheeks and he was scooping her up into his massive hands. Gratefully, she buried her head into his neck joint as he lifted her.

"Ellie," First Aid started, "this is normal for all human females around your age."

She turned her head to look at them over her shoulder. "It is?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes.

"Ellie, you've started your period," Livewire explained.

"My what?"

"Every human female that has reached the age of fertility has a three day to one week time frame where they will bleed from their . . ." First Aid began.

"Ellie," Livewire interrupted, "you have begun the part of your development where you can become a mother," he simplified.

"Huh?"

"Here, let me explain," First Aid volunteered.

"Try not to be too graphic," Livewire implored.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"This is odd," Sideswipe said to his passenger.

"What's odd?" Robert Epps asked.

"We just received a text from the lair. It is asking if you could pick up something called 'feminine hygiene products' on our way. Apparently, Ellie has started her first period this morning."

"And they want me to pick up these things for a girl I never even met? How am I supposed to know what to get? I didn't even get those things for any of my exes."

"Perhaps that is why they are your exes?" the corvette suggested.

"Ain't there anybody else?"

"I'm afraid not. Do you need some money for the purchase?"

"Yeah, I am a little light in the wallet after that motel bill and gas for my car."

"In my glove compartment, Jukes left a credit card he uses for the girl's necessities."

"Alright, got it. Who's 'Jason Ukes'?"

"My guess would be Jukes. The girl has created identities for some of her 'bot helpers, and it's probable that he has one too."

"Okay. Here, this pharmacy should have it.

"You think it would be okay if I get something to eat at Burger King too? It's right next door."

"If we go through drive thru," Sideswipe allowed as he pulled into a parking spot.

He watched the human go into the store and sighed through his vents in agitation. "If it wasn't the fact she saved Sunny, I'd have said to forget this detour," he groused.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Excuse me," Epps said as he approached the pharmacy technician at the back of the store.

"May I help you?" she smiled politely.

"I hope so. I was sent on an errand to pick up something for a girl who just started her first period. What should I get?"

"Ah! First time for the both of you huh?" she asked with a genuine smile as she left the secured dispensary.

"Yeah."

"Well, since this is her first time, I would suggest getting pads instead of tampons," she counseled. "She's not going to know how heavy a flow she's going to have either, so I would suggest one of these multi-packs. That way, she can gauge her intensity and get the right size next time."

"How do these things work?" Epps wanted to know. After all, he was the only human the girl was going to have access to, and he wasn't quite sure if the 'bots would know how to instruct her.

"They have an adhesive on the back. She just pulls the paper off and sticks them to her underwear. This kind also has wings to protect from leakage, so she just takes off the paper on them as well and folds them around the crotch of her panties.

"Anything else I can help you with?"

"Um, yeah. Don't women get emotional and have PMS too? Should I get her something for that?"

"Yes, we have some over the counter medications that can help with the minor to moderate flare ups most women have," she told him as she walked him over to the pain reliever aisle and grabbed a blue box off the shelf. "You can also try chocolate. It helps sometimes."

"Thanks for your help," he said as he followed her back toward the register, grabbing armfuls of chocolate candy on his way. He so did not want a PMS'ing woman on his hands, of any age.


	30. Chapter Twenty Nine

**A/N:**_ Here's the latest chapter. Sorry, but it's going to take me about another chapter or two after this to get to the first two somewhat major climactic events. After that, hopefully, the last major climax will come rather quickly. As always, thanks to everyone who has r/r'd to my little stint into Michael Bay's universe. If anyone happens to know him, or Stephen Spielburg, or any of the other writers for the Transformers stories, suggest fanfiction for ideas for his, as of yet, undecided Transformers 4 script. Happy writing to my readers and fellow writers! Tracy_

Chapter Twenty-nine

"What is all of this?" Barricade asked in confusion.

"It's what we've been recording from the communications relay," Lugnut answered proudly.

"Why is there so much?"

"'Cause I wasn't sure what you would find important, so I recorded it all."

"You recorded . . .? ALL of it? For the last six hours?"

"Yes sir! I even separated it out according to region, language, media, gender and the designations of Ellie, Urielle, Maimed Angel and Angel."

If he was given to humor, he knew he would have laughed. The big bolt head was so proud of his achievement that he didn't realize he just gave him extra work to do. Still, the fact he knew enough to at least catalog the data was somewhat helpful. It was his own fault; Lugnut was long on brawn but rather short on the processing department. At least he was loyal.

"Thank you Lugnut. Why don't you go get some Energon and then head out for sentry duty."

His optics visibly brightened at the idea of blowing things up when they got too close. "Yes sir!" he chirped happily as he walked off toward the Energon dispenser.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Hey! Big guy," General Lennox called up to the Autobot leader as he met with his mechs.

Optimus Prime looked down curiously and noticed the plastic bags in his hands. "Yes General Lennox?" he asked as he kneeled to the human's level.

"Yeah, uh, my wife accidentally saw some of those videos when I started to watch them. Anyhow, she was really relieved when she found out you guys were taking care of the girl and thought that she might need a few things. So, here's what she bought for her," he said as he handed over one of the handful of bags.

"Yeah, I guess there's some clothes and other sorts of girl stuff and a letter she wrote to her."

"Thank you General Lennox. We will make certain she receives this thoughtful gift," the giant mech answered neutrally. He wasn't quite sure how to take the breach in security that occurred in order for the human's mate to learn about Ellie. The fact she seemed drawn to befriend the girl, though, seemed to ease his spark a bit. He doubted she would betray them.

"And then I got a few things for Epps and you guys," he finished as he rummaged around in one of the remaining bags to fish out a dog-eared book. "The bags have a few things for him, but this book is for you."

Optimus quirked his optic ridge and cocked his head in curiosity.

"This book has been in my family for three generations. It's a survival guide for raising daughters."

The Autobot leader chuckled good naturedly. "Thank you for thinking of us as well," he said as he stood up and scanned the book. Some of the information concerning getting into the bathroom, he knew, would not be useful to them, however, some of the other sections would. He handed off the book to Ratchet who proceeded to scan it as well.

"Humph!" the medic replied once he had completed the download. "There's some information in there that has no basis in science," he observed.

"Science? No. Experienced by fathers from their daughters? Absolutely," the human defended as he accepted the book back.

"Again, I must thank you, General Lennox, for entrusting her care with us in this matter. I can promise you on my very spark that I will protect her well-being with the last drop of Energon in my systems."

"Uh, okay. But I really wish you wouldn't be so dramatic about it."

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Man! How many more random turns are there?" Epps asked his traveling companion.

"Just two, and unless you want to walk, we have to go this way."

"Whatever you say Silver . . . Whoa!" he exclaimed as a particularly sharp turn pressed him up against the driver side window.

"What was that?" he asked when they were driving straight for a few minutes. He thoughtfully began to rub his face mark off the corvette's window.

"That was the one-sixty. This last turn is only a thirty," Sideswipe informed as he floored it the rest of the way.

"Aren't you gonna open the door?" he asked as they neared a shallow cave. "Sideswipe. Sideswipe? Sideswipe!" he was yelling just before they drove through the back of the cave.

"What the . . .?" he managed when he stopped screaming. He looked around at the large cavern he found himself in as the mech came to a stop.

"This is the lair. Would you mind getting out and unloading these things? I need to see my twin."

"Yeah, sure," Epps answered dazedly. Quickly, he grabbed the shopping bags and his duffel from the back seat, making sure not to leave anything behind.

When he looked behind them, he noticed a giant mech pulling something out of the silver vehicle's trunk and tripped in his effort to escape. "Who are you?"

"Designation's Bonecrusher. You must be Robert Epps."

Epps nodded in confusion; this 'bot had Decepticon logos tattooed all over him, and yet Sideswipe and the other Autobots were allowing him free reign around here. What was going on? Glancing around, he hurriedly ran over to Hot Rod who seemed to be messing in Optimus' trailer.

"Hot Rod?"

"Eppsy! How ya doin'?" the mech greeted amiably.

"What's a 'Con doin' running around here?"

"Bonecrusher? Well, he's been here since before we were. He seems to be converted to an Elliebot now."

"What's an Elliebot?"

"Those are the 'bots who have decided to help Optimus' ward, Ellie. They've been taking care of her and keeping her safe from her uncle."

"Yeah, I heard something about that, but I don't know the whole story."

The 'bot looked sharply at his old friend and sighed loudly through his vents. He sat down on the side of the platform and offered his hand to the human. "First, did you get the requested items for Ellie?"

"Oh yeah! They're in the plastic bags. I got what the pharmacist told me I should get, including PMS medicine and chocolate. She said it can help with some symptoms."

"I will be dispensing any medication she gets," said a spindly little mech with electric defibrillating paddles on his chest. "I am Livewire, human specializing physician of the lair. You are Robert Epps?"

"Yeah," he answered cautiously.

"Very well. When Hot Rod has finished informing you of Ellie's status, I will need to examine you in the clinic. It is directly opposite the work room's back entrance there," he pointed. "It's the left entrance."

"Okay. I guess I'll see you then?"

"Yes, you will, or I will come find you. You will then be shown to your quarters afterward." Livewire turned and walked back to the bags that contained the items for the girl.

"So, what's the girl's status?" Epps asked, turning back to Hot Rod.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Where's Sunny?" Sideswipe asked Bonecrusher as soon as he was able to transform.

"His spark is still recharging on the table and First Aid is working on the stasis chambers in the lab. I guess he couldn't do anything else for him until you and the Energon arrived."

Sideswipe rushed into the work room and stopped short when he found two sparks sitting in the twenty four hour recharge section.

"He's the one on the left," Jazz informed as he turned around from the monitor.

"Is he alright?"

"Seems to be stable. You can check his power readings for yourself," he offered as he turned back to the monitor. "They're on the read out in front of him."

"What are all these extra readings for?"

"Those are monitoring the holo preserver itself and the energy exchange between it and the spark.

"If all of those lights are yellow, you can turn him on as long as you don't take him off the recharge table. But make sure you keep it to ten minutes or less. He is still about ten hours from getting his full twenty four Ellie insists on."

Wordlessly, Sideswipe turned on the holo preserver and came optic to image with his long lost twin.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Ellie came into the work room as the image of the essence matrix First Aid called Sunstreaker flickered on. Sideswipe spoke animatedly to him in a strange sort of electronic based, groaning language.

Of course, she thought. He isn't going to know English yet.

"Sideswipe?" she asked tentatively.

Eagerly, he turned to her and scooped her up in his hands, bringing her to his face and nuzzling her gratefully. "You brought my twin back to me! I can never thank you enough for that."

"So, you don't hate me anymore?"

"Of course not. I never hated you, just was a little embarrassed that you got away from me is all."

"Can you let your brother know that I'm really sorry it took me so long to know he was alive? It's just that his chest was crushed and I couldn't check his light and his head was even missing and everything!"

"His head was missing?" First Aid asked in surprise as he came in to the room.

Ellie nodded at the medic. "And his right leg and both arms. I taught myself how to repair them before I tried to fix Boney. Even the eyeball was broken, so I tried to repair it. When I couldn't, I used one of the others'."

"In that case, I'm going to check over these other repairs just to make sure everything is lined up correctly.

"From what I can see," he hastened to soothe, "you did an excellent job. But, it might explain a few other problems I ran into." He strode out of the work room to check on his other patient.

"I hope I didn't mess up," Ellie worried aloud.

"Sunny says that even if you did, you told First Aid soon enough it can be fixed."

"Thanks," she said to the image.

"I'll let you talk with your brother," she addressed Sideswipe. "Try to keep it to ten minutes, otherwise you can cause a catastrophic malfunction of the energy relays between the matrix and the preserver. What you really want to watch for is if the lights either start blinking fast, or turning red. That's when things are going bad."

"Got it. Again, thank you Ellie," he said as he nuzzled her and set her back on the floor.

"You're both welcome," she offered as she rushed out of the room.


	31. Chapter Thirty

**A/N:**_ Here's the latest chapter. Sorry it's so long, but there are 7 different pov's here. Things are going to start happening quick folks! As always, R&R and let me know what needs improvement, and what needs taken out. _

**P.S.**_ There's also a description of Ellie's "kitchen" in here too._

Chapter Thirty

"How did he find it?" Dr. Alicia Elgin asked in amazement as she read the automated text on her phone. She had made certain to reformat her entire computer and all redundancies before she left.

Shaking her head, she set her mouth in a grim line and put her car in gear. Fortunately, she had prepared for just such a scenario and had several grab and go bags stashed in various locations. None of which were at the apartment she had rented during her stint as Carlisle's assistant.

It was too bad, she thought. The subjects were coming along nicely, converting easily to her religion. Now, it was to the point where she would have to convert them the old fashioned way; intimidation.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Maestro watched the sentries rotate through their shifts on seemingly random cycles. He had some hope for the Deadeyes; they seemed to be more inclined to question the motives of their superiors than some of the other units. If all went well, they may just prove to be useful in Ellie's plan.

As one Deadeye shift turned in for the night, he had Itsy begin to feed in the low voice of Dr. Elgin . . .creatively edited, of course, into their barracks. It just might work, he thought. If it were to be discovered, he knew it would have been blamed on her unauthorized experiments.

Turning his processors to the status of Ellie's current plan phase, he was happy to note it should be complete within ten days. He sent the text to alert her and then set back to work sorting through Dr. Carlisle's newest emails and phone messages to notify her new benefactor. He further monitored the personal messages of the rest of the staff and flagged certain ones for further research. He was pleased to notice that a good many seemed like they would be willing to help his charge. That would come in handy, he was certain.

Taking a few minutes, he sorted through the new information and sent the data burst to Optimus Prime, and a file to Ellie's designated email address. Hopefully, she would get it soon enough to be of benefit.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Hound?" Ellie called in to the _Eight Track_ from the junction.

"Be right there," he called back from his place near the rear of the hold.

He had overseen the removal of the stasis chambers into the cave. Hopefully, they would be able to bury their dead and save at least a few of the chambers for medical use. Shaking his head sadly at the waste of Cybertronian sparks, he returned to the junction to see what the human wanted.

"Hound? Are you alright?" she asked concernedly.

"Just sad about the loss of these brave soldiers," he answered honestly.

"What did you want?" he asked determinedly.

"Well, I'm sorry about your friends. Maybe when Optimus comes back tonight, you can put them in the cathedral. It's where I put the matrices of your other friends when they wouldn't light back up.

"As to what I wanted; just to tell you we need to take Starscream out for his flight time. I also need to get the files Maestro has sent from my uncle's base."

"What's the cathedral and what do you mean about Starscream getting flight time?"

"The cathedral is in the expanse past the caverns of the lair. Starscream is a flier, so it just seemed like the right thing to do; to make sure he gets a couple hours of flight time every so often. Besides, he seems to be a lot more cooperative after he goes for a flight. I've been a little lax lately and it's been almost a week since he was out last."

"What did you have in mind?"

"Usually, Clyde takes us to a hill about an hour and a half from here where we let him fly. I get to stop at a fast food place and eat it while he is.

"Besides," she continued when he looked ready to refuse, "I figured you'd like to get out for a while and catch up with Optimus and see what some of the local landscape looks like."

"Why don't you just let him fly around over this hill?"

"Because I don't trust him, and I don't want him to be able to find this place when he gets his body back."

Hound was thoughtful for a few minutes. It would be smart to get to know the terrain a little better, and, he hated to admit, she was smart to protect the lair from Starscream. But still, he wondered what else he could get out of it, besides a more compliant seeker.

"Why does Clyde take you?"

"To protect me from my uncle's locating bursts.

"You can come too," she hastened to add.

"Optimus and the others are planning on coming back this evening. I can catch up with him then. I don't know if this is a good idea."

"Since Optimus left you in charge, he must trust you, so I'll trust you enough to share whatever Maestro sent me too . . . IF Bumblebee can come too."

"Alright, but Prowl is coming too. Besides, I think he and Clyde have become joined at the hip since we've been here."

"Okay! Can we leave in about an hour?"

"Make it an hour and a half so I can make sure everything is covered. Besides, I want to see this cathedral before Optimus and the others get back."

"Alright. When would you like to see it?"

"How about now?" he suggested.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Here," Arcee handed Epps a glass of water when he appeared dazed in the workroom.

"Thanks," he accepted the water gratefully and downed it in one swallow.

"You going to be alright?"

"Man! She's had a rough life so far, hasn't she?" he asked, still dazed by what Hot Rod had told and shown him.

"You have no idea. The real tough part is that even though she is brilliant, she seems to be emotionally immature. That has led to a great many problems. I just hope we can keep her safe from any major errors she makes because of it."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, don't get me wrong, I love Ellie like my own hatchling, but she is rather trusting of Cybertronians. ALL Cybertronians, and I'm just worried that she will trust the wrong one and get herself hurt and the rest of us killed."

"What about humans? You said she was trusting of Cybertronians, but you didn't say anything about humans."

"She seems to avoid humans, so I don't really know what to tell you. I've never seen her interaction with them."

"Hey little bud!" he addressed a small 'bot who had come up to tug on his pant leg.

"He wants to know if you're hungry," Arcee translated his chattering language. "This is Mike, by the way. He's the resident cook."

"Not right now. I'm still unsettled about what happened to the girl."

"He said he can make you peanut butter and strawberry preserves on wheat, macaroni and cheese and hot dogs or barbecued chipped ham and potato chips when you get hungry."

"That's all he's got?" he asked incredulously. He noticed there wasn't a single mention of any vegetable or real food anywhere in his menu.

"We do only have limited kitchen facilities here," Arcee pointed out, gesturing to a small set up in the corner.

Epps walked over and inspected the area; there was a small table with a single chair set up that looked like it served as both the dining area and the main kitchen work surface, sitting on a makeshift shelf of cinderblocks and scrap wood was an old propane Coleman camp stove with a Styrofoam cooler setting under that. A set of milk crates were set up as shelves beside that to house the limited amount of nonperishable food stuffs on hand, and it was sitting beside a bottled water system with three empties on another makeshift shelf, and two full bottles beneath them. Toward the back of the room, there was a small generator that had the water system plugged in to it as well as several lights and other equipment.

"This just will not do for a growing child," he said as he opened the cooler. "We definitely need real food first of all. Then something to keep it cold, and no offense Mike, but I'd like to have a greater option than food that is microwaveable or cooked on the stove. So, maybe we can get a crock pot or a roaster oven or something."

Mike chattered excitedly and cooed at the human male, nuzzling his hand in his agreement.

"He said he'd love to have a real refrigerator and either an oven or crock pot."

"I'm going to have to buy a whole new kitchen, ain't I?" Ellie asked from the entrance to the workroom.

Epps whirled around at the new voice and noticed that she quickly ducked behind the foot of the converted 'Con.

"You must be Ellie. My name is Bobby Epps. Optimus asked me to come help him out with you," he introduced himself with his best "Let's be friends," smile.

"Hi," she answered shyly. "Has Livewire given you your physical yet?"

"No I have not," Livewire answered as he entered the workroom from the back corridor. "I was just on my way to find you, Mr. Epps. Shall we begin?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess.

"You're going to be just as bad as Ratchet, aren't you?" Epps asked with a groan.

"I don't know what his tendencies are, so I cannot speculate."

"Yes, he will be," Jazz chimed in from his position in front of the monitor. "He wants to get a new kitchen with real food," he informed Livewire.

"In that case, Mr. Epps, I believe we will be friends. Tell me, do you intend on bringing vegetables and fruits into her diet?" he asked.

"Absolutely. Plenty of dairy and real meat too," Epps confirmed.

"Fine! You two are ganging up on me," Ellie pouted.

"Just write down what you need and I'll order it online while I'm out," she continued. "Which reminds me, do you have a checking account? If not, I'll just have to open one for you."

"Yes, I have one. It's empty at the moment though."

"Can I have the number? I want to deposit some money into it while I'm out. Would ninety five hundred dollars work?"

"Ninety-five hundred bucks?" he asked with his mouth hanging open.

"If you're gonna need more I'll have to break it up so the government doesn't tag it."

"N-no, no. That will be fine," he assured as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his checkbook.

She glanced at the numbers for a moment then turned away. "Thanks. I'll give you enough to pay for the kitchen out of it too. Then, you and Ironhide will be able to go pick it up with Clyde. There's an all in one store in the next plaza over, so you can get your groceries. Might as well stock up on water too. Mike will write out a grocery list too. He knows what I will and won't eat," she decided as she disappeared back into the lair.

"Now, about your physical, Mr. Epps," Livewire started as he led the unwilling patient into his clinic.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

It was official, he had resigned as the Secretary of Defense. "Personal conflict," had been his official reason.

"What conflict are you referencing?" a reporter asked from the back of the interview room.

"The fact we have been harboring alien robots on this planet and within our country's borders.

"I have been against it from the beginning, even before I was named the Secretary of Defense. These beings have no need to seek refuge from us for any reason except conquest.

"I have personally seen the damage they and their technology do. One of my former patients was even a victim of their technology. A child! They must be expelled from this planet at once!" he began to yell.

"The Autobots harmed a child?"

"Who is this child?"

"In what way did they harm the child?"

The reporters fired their questions at him, the outrage beginning to become evident in their voices.

"Yes. She was six by the time I had seen her. The evil things were turning her into one of them! Their technology implanted into her brain and replacing her limbs and eyes! They must be stopped before we become their next source of procreation!" he was yelling as the secret service agents ushered him away.

"What is he talking about?"

"When did this happen?"

"Where did this happen?"

"How did this happen?"

"How old is the child in question now?"

Longhorne heard the reporters demands of the press secretary as the door closed behind him.

"What the hell was that?" one of the agents asked him in outrage.

"It's true! They're going to turn us all into slaves. I know it.

"We have to resurrect him. He will protect us. He will keep the alien infidels at bay."

"Him who?" the agent asked.

The former Secretary of Defense began to scream and point in terror down the hall as the agents forcefully dragged him toward the exit. The police car was already waiting outside. No one noticed the gleam of silver as the razor thin robot slipped out of a different door, a spent syringe clutched in his claws.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

The human male was forcefully shoved into his back seat, the handcuffs scratching coldly along the hard plastic cut-outs. His holograph looked over its shoulder at him coolly, then turned around and hit the gas when the door slammed. After a few minutes of incoherent muttering, Barricade turned off the holograph and addressed his prisoner.

"Tell me, Dr. Longhorne, what part of the Maimed Angel experiment did you contribute?"

The drugged former Secretary of Defense of the United States screamed in terror at the realization it was the car itself that was addressing him.

"Quiet!" Barricade snapped.

Instantly his prisoner stopped.

"Answer my question."

"I installed the technology that allows her implants to communicate with her biological cells in the brain. I also wrote the battle programming in her implants that will allow her to act as a sleeper cell when properly triggered."

"What is the purpose of this sleeper cell program?"

"Suicide assassin."

"Interesting. What is the trigger?"

"A command word."

"What is the word?"

"Onomatopoeia."

"What is the nature of delivery?"

"Radio frequencies one, four, two, two amplitude modulation, eight, eight, point seven frequency modulation and two, six, seven, four amplitude modulation simultaneously."

"Very good Dr. Longhorne. Your services are no longer required," he said as he pulled into a warehouse that sat right on the dock. He opened the door and ordered the human out.

"You are going to run away and jump into the river Dr. Longhorne. Do you understand?"

In a daze, he nodded his head. Looking around, he saw that he was next to the river, so he ran from the car and jumped as he was commanded.

Barricade transformed and walked up to the edge of the dock as he looked into the river. He watched as the human splashed vainly in an attempt to stay afloat before he sunk beneath the gentle waves. He continued to watch until the bubbles stopped reaching the surface and breaking.

Nodding to himself, he transformed and raced away. Perhaps the girl herself would make a useful weapon against the Autobots, he mused to himself.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"You really should go to her," Advisor Agosto urged. "Unless she has access to a television, she's going to be unaware of the danger she will now be in thanks to this stunt."

"Why should we trust you?" Optimus Prime asked the woman.

"Because I could have continued to lie to you, but I didn't.

"I don't really blame you, but the truth is, I don't want the girl to be hurt. The last thing I ever wanted was for any child to be hurt.

"Besides, I am still the president's security advisor. It is now my obligation to fully brief him on this particular problem, which I'm guessing he's already trying to locate me to do. I still have all of the tapes Alistair made about her. I'll get with General Morgan and we'll all decide what story to tell the rest of the world."

"Perhaps the truth would be best."

"Ideally, yes it would. But, the truth would not be best for the government. I think I'll try to get the president to spin it so Alistair is the bad guy and the government was in the dark."

"He is the bad guy," he answered truthfully.

"Not in his own mind. Anyway, I'll also try to get you to be acknowledged as her saviors, explain that as a result of her uncle's experiments, you guys are trying to undo the damage. Maybe we can even turn this into a situation where you guys will be sought for medical technology to save lives and limbs."

"Perhaps," Optimus admitted thoughtfully. Maybe this would be a source of income for his people, he thought to himself. Maybe that would be the role of this Autotronix shell Ellie had established to give herself access to her money. He just might be able to make her company legitimate and provide a new source of income for his society independent of the government.

Perhaps indeed.


	32. Chapter Thirty One

**A/N:**_ So, here's the latest chapter. Hope you all enjoy it, PLUS the identity of one of the seven 'bots still trapped inside of the stasis chambers. REVIEWER VOTE! Which other G1 Autobot would you like to see rejoin Optimus in my version of Bayverse? As always, let me know how I'm doing; I can't put out a better product if I don't know what's missing._

Chapter Thirty-one

"So what did Maestro mean about the next phase of your plan?" Hound asked as she sat in Clyde's cab and ate her Italian chicken sandwich.

"Well, I had this idea to get my matrixes back into their real bodies once they were repaired. Since I knew I couldn't do it by myself, I figured I'd try and get you guys to help me since they are all with my uncle. Especially since you guys have friends under my care and their bodies are there too.

"The first phase of my plan was to get you guys to notice me, the second was to meet you to get help for my friends, the third part is to get their bodies reassembled, which is where they're about ten days from being, if Maestro is correct, and then the fourth and last phase is to restore them."

"You didn't mention where you're supposed to be made better," Bumblebee spliced.

She took a big bite of her sandwich and shrugged in answer.

"He's right," Clyde agreed. "And you are going to answer, so stop trying to stall with your sandwich."

She glowered at the dash in response, then obediently swallowed the food in her mouth and took a gulp of her shake.

"I didn't figure on it," she admitted.

"Why not?" Hound wanted to know.

She shrugged again before she answered honestly, "I never really believed I could be fixed. Besides, I pretty much have gotten used to being this way."

"I believe in him, and if Ratchet said he can repair your implants, then he can," Bumblebee encouraged.

"Well, I didn't know him when I made up my plan," she pointed out logically.

"True. But still, you should have realized that we would have helped you. After all, you did have Jazz all these years to tell you about us," Hound pointed out.

"I know. But I'm more worried about my friends than I am me," she admitted as she took a bite of her fries.

"You always worry about us more than yourself," Clyde pointed out.

"So, how did you plan on restoring the sparks with their bodies?" Prowl asked from the edge of the hill. He was monitoring any movement around them and making certain Starscream didn't fly his remote control surrogate body too far from his spark.

"That part I need help with. I was hoping that Maestro could manufacture some way to get everybody out and then lock down the base so I could sneak in and restore them. He says that won't work though," she answered around the last bite of her sandwich.

"Why won't it?" asked the disembodied voice of Starscream from the roof of Clyde's cab.

"Hey! How can he hear us?" Bumblebee wanted to know.

"He's probably splitting his sensors between his preserver and his remote control body," she answered as she stuffed the trash from her meal into the bag.

"Still, he has a valid question," Hound admitted.

"The forces my uncle has actually live on his base. Maestro pointed out that even if he does get everyone out of the lab where the bodies are, the forces will lock down the rest of the base, making it difficult to get in."

"So, we need to figure some way of getting everyone out of the lab and distracting the forces long enough to sneak someone inside to start restoring sparks," Starscream mused as he brought his body back.

"This body is low on energy," he said thoughtfully as he continued to run through scenarios in his processor.

"That's going to be difficult for us. We won't harm humans," Prowl pointed out.

"Yeah, that's what Jazz said," Ellie admitted as she changed the batteries for Starscream.

"So meet with the Decepticons and allow them to provide the distraction," Starscream suggested.

"Then we will have to defend the humans you would be attacking," Hound said thoughtfully.

"Maybe not. If we can immobilize them, then they wouldn't be in the way," Clyde suggested.

"There's no way to immobilize them all," Bumblebee reminded.

"Why not?" Starscream wanted to know.

"Well, if you used a gas while they were sleeping, not everyone would be sleeping at the same time. You can't drug their food, 'cause you can't guarantee they all will consume the same thing at around the same time. And if you tried to use a neurological device, it might not be able to get everyone that is not out in the open," he explained.

"What about some sort of coordinated attack?" Starscream tried again as his remote controlled body took off.

"You answered yourself," Hound pointed out. "You said 'attack.'"

"What if there was a way you could attack them without hurting anyone?" Ellie thought aloud.

"What did you have in mind?" Prowl was curious.

"Let me think about it and get back to you," she said as she pointedly glanced above her toward the position of the seeker's matrix."

"We're going to have to head back now," Hound interrupted.

"What's up?" Bumblebee wanted to know.

"Just got a message from Optimus; the Secretary of Defense just resigned, held a press conference and told them about Ellie being implanted with Cybertronian technology. He's concerned that she will now be in danger out in the open."

"But Starscream's only had a half hour of flying. He's been cooped up so long I was going to give him two hours," Ellie whined.

"We'll have to figure something else out. We have to go," he was adamant.

"What if Bumblebee takes me back and you guys stay here to let him get his full two in?"

"Will you wear your helmet?" Clyde was concerned.

"Yes," she said with an eye roll, "I'll wear the helmet until I'm safely inside of his car form, then he can block the radio waves inside of his cabin. Alright?"

"That's fine by me. Hound?" Clyde confirmed.

"That's fine," he agreed.

"Prowl? Will you teach me how to transform on the run?" Clyde asked almost eagerly.

"If we are not in the vicinity of any humans and have enough room, then yes I will."

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Ellie listened to the conversation as she put on her helmet and Bumblebee assumed his alt form. She hastily grabbed her garbage and happily skipped to the Camaro's open door.

Sliding inside the warm interior, she giggled happily as she pulled her helmet off. "Hey Bumblebee! How fast can you go?"

"Buckle up," he played through the radio.

She clicked the seatbelt into place obediently. "Now can we go fast?"

In answer, he revved his engine and pealed out with a cloud of dirt. "As you wish," he said.

"How fast can you go? Can we get to the lair in half the time it took to get here? If you were in a race against Sideswipe, who would win? When will Optimus be back? Will we beat him back?" she prattled. It seemed like the faster he went, the faster her questions came.

He did his best to answer her questions in the same order she asked, but how rapidly she was asking them was proving to tax even his ability to find the right sound bites. Finally, he asked his own question when she stopped to breathe. "Ellie, do you think you could repair my vocal processors?"

"I don't know. I can try, but I don't want to hurt you. How 'bout we ask First Aid to help us, 'cause the only way I know to fix something is to tear it apart and put it back together?"

"Alrighty then," he answered. "We will ask First Aid to monitor."

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Sideswipe was sitting on a berth fashioned from scrap metal and boulders above his twin's body as the Energon transfer commenced. He watched in wonder as the leads from First Aid's chest connected him to Sunstreaker to direct the self-repair nanos.

"Will this work?" he asked the young medic.

"In theory. The best thing would be for his spark to be here to do this, but since it is currently in a holo-preserver, this will have to do.

"Technically, he should have been dead. I've never heard of a case where a mech survived this long without being online."

"Any idea how long he would have lasted if Ellie hadn't come along?"

"He should have died before her creators were even online. If Ellie hadn't found him and brought him out of the elements when she did, then I'm thinking he would have permanently offlined over three Earth years ago."

"So, how long is this going to take?"

"Not much longer, maybe another half hour."

The sound of heavy footfalls had both 'bots looking up just as Hot Rod stuck his head around the corner.

"You look excited," Sideswipe commented.

"I was able to get one of the monitors on the stasis chambers to work," he answered happily.

"Who is it?" First Aid asked curiously.

"Powerglide!"

"Are you sure?" Sideswipe was cautiously optimistic.

"Positive. It's the vain aft port himself!"

"Finally! Now Optimus will have some air presence against the 'Cons," Sideswipe thought aloud.

"Hopefully, it also means I'll have less patients to patch up too," First Aid agreed. "As long as you and Sunstreaker don't go practicing your jet judo on him."

"When can you restore him to his body?" he asked, his concern for his twin evident in his voice.

"I want to make sure his spark is fully charged first. Now that I know how to read the preservers' monitoring read outs, I'm not happy at how his energy seems to be fluctuating. Hopefully, we should be able to restore him sometime late tomorrow, or early the next day."

"Did my turning him on hurt him?"

"No. Actually, it seems to have helped him. After you turned him off, his read outs all seemed to start evening out. Of course, the energy level of the preserver dipped a bit, but that was to be expected."

"Do you need any help with anything? Hound gave me a data burst on the workings of the preservers, so I can build or repair any of them if you need me to," Hot Rod volunteered.

"Thank you, but just keep working on getting the stasis chambers' monitors repaired," First Aid ordered.

"No problem. Bonecrusher, Arcee, Chromia and Elita-one have found some old computer monitors the girl was going to dismantle anyway. I'm going to try and re-purpose them to use with the chambers," he assured as he turned to leave. "Com' me if you need anything."

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Hound just texted to tell us he sent Ellie back with Bumblebee," Ironhide informed Epps. "I guess the Secretary of Defense, Dr. Longhorne, resigned from his position and started ranting about how we're going to take over the world. He was even talking about how we were going to turn humans into Cybertronians!"

"Is that even possible?"

"Of course not! At least, I don't think so."

"So, why is he sending her back?"

"Optimus comm'd him about his fear for her safety. From what I can gather from the text, the guy was using Ellie's implants as proof of his stance."

"But, it was her uncle who implanted them," Epps objected.

"I'm guessing that was not an important fact to him."

"So, when will they get back?"

"Hound, Prowl and Clyde will be bringing back Starscream in about forty-five minutes. So, Ellie and Bumblebee should be getting back in about an hour, unless they stop off somewhere."

"Why would they?"

"She loves Italian chicken sandwiches and Pepsi throwback. It's highly probable she'll try to get him to stop off on the way to get some for her."

The sound of a high performance engine had both looking up toward the outside of the cave.

"How are they back already?" Epps wanted to know.

"I'm guessing the use of his Energon enhanced motor might have something to do with it," Ironhide answered disapprovingly.

"Wow! Thirty-eight minutes flat!" Ellie laughed giddily as she climbed out of the shiny yellow Camaro.

Bumblebee transformed into his robotic mode and made like he was polishing his fingernails on his chest. The girl squealed in merriment.

"Bumblebee!" Ironhide snapped authoritatively.

The girl's head snapped around to look at the disapproving weapon's specialist. "You aren't going to yell at him for doing what I asked him to, are you?" she asked sweetly.

"Yes, I absolutely am. He knows better than to endanger you like that."

"But, he only did what I asked him to," she wailed.

"I don't want to hear it. He's far older than you and knows how dangerous excessive speed can be, especially to someone as young as you," Ironhide emphasized. "Now, you need to go do your duties," he dismissed as he turned to the now deflated scout.

"I'm sorry Bumble. I didn't mean to get you in trouble," she said miserably.

He stooped down and ran a finger down her right arm in comfort. She briefly clutched at it before she reluctantly dropped it and moved toward the workroom.

She moved to the kitchen to find something to munch on. Mike usually had plenty of goodies for her to snack on. Looking inside of the crate designated as the "goodie cupboard," her eyes brightened as she reached in and grabbed the three plastic bags that looked to be filled with chocolate.

**P.S.:**_ Uh oh! Anyone else have a bad feeling about this? Stay tuned to find out what happens._


	33. Chapter Thirty Two

**A/N:**_ Hey everyone, here's the latest chapter. It may be the last one for a while due to technical difficulties, (the person whose laptop I was using needed it back). So, until I can either borrow it back, or get my own, I'm going to be rather limited in how much time I'm going to be able to devote to my writing. Anyhow, as always, please read and review, and VOTE for who is in the stasis chambers! Tracy _

Chapter Thirty-two

"Lord Megatron," Starscream started as he approached his leader in the arena.

"Report, Starscream," he commanded as he turned to his second.

"The girl has slipped up," the seeker started smugly. "She forgot that I was able to split my sensors to hear what was being said around my spark when my surrogate body was airborne."

"What did you overhear?"

"Firstly, I heard what the phases of her plan were to restore us to our bodies. She is in phase three of four. This phase is approximately ten days from being completed. The last phase is to restore us."

"How will she do that?"

"She is uncertain. She has requested the help of the Autobot fleshy lovers to strategize a plan to get everyone out of the lab where our bodies are, and then distract the security forces long enough someone can sneak inside and begin to restore our sparks."

"Prime and his forces will never consent to harming humans, no matter how much they deserve it," Megatron mused aloud.

"Yes, so I suggested she get your forces involved."

"You addressed her when she was discussing this plan?" he turned his angry optics on his cowering seeker. Of all the stupid mistakes to make, who knows how much more information she would have shared if he had just remained silent.

"I am sorry Lord Megatron! I was incapable of keeping my vocal synthesizer offline while my sensors where divided. I had no knowledge of that limitation."

"What was her opinion of your suggestion?" he asked instead of pummeling the nitwit.

"It was the Autobots who objected. Their primary concern, as always, was the safety of the insects. She, from what I gathered, was not against the idea, provided none of the other humans were permanently damaged."

"If I know the girl, then she will find a way to incapacitate the humans without injury. Even if she has to offer herself as a test subject," he said with a sinking spark. He had a really bad feeling that she would do just such a thing, if she hadn't already.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"First Aid? Is it safe to come in?" Ellie called into the surgical cavern.

"Yes Ellie. It is safe."

"Bumble asked me to take a look at his vocal processors and see if I can repair them, but since I don't know what they're supposed to look like, I was hoping you can help me fix them," she said all in one breath. "So, can you? He really wants to be able to talk to all of us, but he gets frustrated when he can't because his processors keep going kaput. And then, when he's in the lair and not able to receive radio signals, then he can't even splice words from different songs and sound bites to try and get his meaning across."

"Yes I can help you when I'm done with Sunstreaker," he said slowly as he assessed her. He noticed she seemed flushed and was talking excessively fast, not to mention the way she was fidgeting and twitching.

Something was definitely up. "Ellie, are you alright?" he asked as he scanned her. He had to do a double take when he read the reading of her sugar levels.

"Sure! I'm absotively, possilutely great!" she assured as she fidgeted.

"What did you just eat?" he asked in alarm.

"Just some chocolate. There was some in the goodie cupboard when Ironhide sent me off so he could yell at Bumble because I asked him to go fast. He was even fast enough that I think he could have beat you Sideswipe," she confided in a rush. "But that wasn't right. I asked him to go fast and he was just trying to make me happy so Ironhide really shouldn't have yelled at him, and he really shouldn't be in trouble because he did what I asked him to do."

"Bumblebee can't go faster than me," Sideswipe stated with absolute confidence as he watched her with some amusement, "although, I'm thinking you may very well be able to at the moment."

"This is really not good," First Aid muttered as he disconnected the Energon transfusion lines from Sideswipe. "How much chocolate did you eat?"

She shrugged dismissively.

"Does that hurt? It looks like it hurts, but then again, if people get transfusions, they have to use needles, and I hate needles, so I bet it would hurt me if I had to do it, but thankfully, I don't have to do it, but you do, so does it hurt?"

"Not particularly," Sideswipe answered on a chuckle.

"Oh. But I'm a wimp so I bet it would hurt me, but I bet if your valves were popped when a needle was sticking in you it would hurt you too, and I bet you wouldn't like needles either after that.

"So when will you help me with Bumble?" Ellie turned her attention back to the medic. "Do you think that Ratchet will be mad at me if I try to fix Bumble's voice box? I like him, he doesn't like needles either and I don't want him to be mad at me if I try to fix what he hasn't been able to yet, but maybe he'll realize I'm just trying to help and he won't be mad, or at least not too mad.

"Oh! We were able to turn that other new matrix on and he says his name is Deadpan, and he must be a Decepticon 'cause he got mad at me when he saw Megatron and said I was disrespecting his glorious Lord Megatron, so do you want to examine him and make sure he's alright?"

"I will help you with Bumblebee's vocal processors tomorrow, after you've come down from your sugar high," he promised. "It should only be another twenty minutes before Sunstreaker will be finished for the evening, then I will examine Deadpan to make certain he is operating within acceptable parameters."

"Okay."

The distinctive sound of a diesel engine echoing faintly into the cavern caught her attention. "Is that Optimus?" she asked the pair in front of her hopefully. When they both nodded she let out an audial rupturing squeal of delight and raced back out into the main chamber.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

" . . . again, the body of former Secretary of Defense, Dr. Jason Longhorne was pulled from the Potomac river less than an hour ago. Officials are investigating to determine if the refugee alien robots, the Autobots, had any involvement with his death.

"Brigadier General William Lennox released this statement; 'I can say with absolute certainty that the Autobots had nothing to do with Dr. Longhorne's death. They have vowed to not harm any humans and have made sometimes impractical decisions to honor that promise. The human race is safe from any harm from them.'

"When asked if Dr. Longhorne's accusations about their assaulting a child had any merit, or any relationship to his death, he refused to comment, stating instead he did not have any more solid leads than the police investigating his death."

"This is really not good," Jukes muttered in concern in response to the report.

"No, it is not," Optimus agreed.

"Have you thought about releasing your own statement?"

"No. We will wait until the president has made his statement. If we comment too soon, then it will look as if we are defending ourselves and appear guilty."

"Yes, but if you wait too long, then it will look as if you view yourselves above human concerns."

"Yes. Such is one of the talents required of any leader; impeccable timing. That is why I have tasked Ratchet to prepare a statement to address the fears of the humans, and release it at the proper time."

"Won't it have more merit coming directly from you?"

"Yes. That is why Ms. Agosto and I have agreed to arrange a press conference in Pittsburgh in two weeks. At that time, the situation with Ellie should be resolved, the true perpetrators of Dr. Longhorne's murder should be closer to being identified and Dr. Carlisle's role should be uncovered."

"That's a lot to have happen in two weeks."

"Yes.

"Hold on," the semi advised. "We're coming up on the one hundred sixty degree turn."

"Ah! Home sweet home," Jukes said with an audible sigh through his vents as they drove the last few feet into the cave. Quickly, he opened the door and grabbed the bags Lennox had sent back as he jumped down.

Optimus waited for the smaller mech to retreat a safe distance before he transformed. The familiar sound of his transformation was drowned out by a loud squeal coming from the expansive cavern.

"Ellie?" he asked in alarm. He had never heard such a sound coming from anyone who was not in some sort of pain.

He knelt down and scooped up the running child quickly, pulling her securely closer to his chest.

"Higher! I want to talk to you," she yelled animatedly up at him.

In some confusion, he complied, raising her up until she was optic level.

"Are you injured?" he asked in concern.

"You came back!" she said happily, ignoring the question as a smile split her face.

"Of course. I told you I would," he was rather confused by the child's logic.

"Yeah, but every time I liked someone, my uncle would make them go away. They always promised they'd be back too, but they never did. But you did! You came back to me," she gushed as she lunged toward his face, awkwardly hugging the bridge of his nose.

Optimus began to understand; the girl was afraid of losing him. He felt both humbled and unnerved by the demonstration of affection. He had no experience with something like this, but he definitely liked the way it made his spark feel so light.

"Grandma was right! She said you'd be home tonight and you are!"

"Grandma?"

"Familiar term for femme creator of a creator," Ratchet supplied from beside him as he ran a medical scan over the girl. He was not happy with the data burst First Aid sent him about her recent dietary extravagance.

"Uh- huh," she nodded. "I had a dream last night that Uncle Al was chasing me and every time I tried to hide, whatever I was hiding behind would disappear, then I ducked into a window and opened a refrigerator and Megatron was frozen inside, so I left the door open to thaw him out and then I fell going around a corner and Soundwave picked me up and told me to find Bumblebee," she said hurriedly in one breath. "So, I found Bumble and he came to help Soundwave fight off my uncle and told me to go find a place to hide. I ran down a long hall and went through a door on the end that led to my Grandma's library. She asked me if I had a bad dream, then she told me a story to help me feel better.

"'Far away, beyond the stars, there is a metal world. It grows and lives and breathes and bleeds, 'neath endless stars unfurled. The world will grow and shine and glow until it faces doom, then come to Earth her children will to find their living boon. The land of metal will start to die, crumble and hold still, 'til living kin of ancient lands shall welcome kin of steel. A gentle leader, a learned prime, will lead a motley crew, across the stars to find their source and claim a home anew. The home, once old, will be reborn to welcome war torn brothers, and old home guarded by family's sway, will, again, welcome lost others,'" she recited.

"And then, I asked her to tell me the story about veracity, and she said later," the child continued excitedly. "Then, she said Bumble would put me to bed and he and Soundwave would protect me for the rest of the night, and then you would protect me tonight and forever after," the girl finished excitedly.

"Really," Optimus stated. He wasn't quite sure what to make of the girl's story, and the com he received from both of his medics further alarmed him.

"Bad Ellie!" Mike came around the corner of the workroom clutching armfuls of empty chocolate wrappers as he scoldingly chattered at her.

"How much did she eat?" Livewire asked as he came from the arena. He had noticed the questioning looks the other holographs had made toward Soundwave during her recounting, but didn't mention it.

Mike chattered back his answer and the rest of the assembled mechs looked at the girl in disbelief.

"What?" she asked curiously.

"He just told us you ate nearly four pounds of chocolate," Ratchet said disapprovingly.

"Nu-uh!" she emphatically denied. "It was chocolate _covered_ peanut butter and chocolate _covered_ cherries too! That reduced the amount of actual chocolate by one point eight pounds."

"She's going to crash hard," Jukes counseled resignedly.

"How would you know that?" Optimus was curious.

"When we were escaping, the only places we would stop were at rest stops with vending machines. For nearly a week, she lived on chocolate. She usually acts like this for about two to two and a half hours after she's gone on a bender, then she'll pass out and sleep for about six or seven hours."

"Why didn't you tell me this when I arrived?" Livewire demanded.

"It was already over with by the time you got here. That's why Mike and I decided to limit her sugar intake."

"Still, you should have told me. I am her physician," the spindly defibrillator groused.

"What's done is done," Ratchet said with an audible huff through his vents. "Any idea how long it's been since she ate all this slag?"

"She said she ate it when Ironhide was yelling at Bumblebee for trying to make her happy," Sideswipe supplied.

"So, how long ago was that?" asked Optimus.

"It was one hour and forty minutes ago," Prowl supplied. "Ironhide briefed Hound and me when we returned from Starscream's outing."

"Why did you take Starscream on an outing?" the prime asked in alarm.

"Cause I asked them to; he's a flier and I just thought it was mean to not let him fly. So, I was able to rig up a remote controlled airplane that he can fly around with. It seems to make him calmer after he gets a little bit of air time."

"That was something you really should not have done," Optimus lectured seriously.

"Actually, Optimus, she really should have," Ratchet corrected.

"For what reason," he demanded of his chief medical officer.

"As she said; he's a flier, or, more specifically, a Seeker. The air is his element, if he is denied access to it for too long, it will begin to have detrimental effects to his health."

"Very well, but we will have to develop a different strategy to give him his flight time."

"I already have," Ellie confided as she stifled a yawn.

"What would that be?"

"Simple, I just let him fly around out over the expanse for a couple hours every few days. It seems to make him less restless for a couple days. Then, I try to take him to the hill about twice a week. He almost purrs like a kitten when he's had his air time!"

"Well then, he should be fine for a while," Optimus decided.

"So, what else happened while I was away?"

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

So, she had another nightmare about me, Megatron thought as he listened raptly to the girl's animated speech. He did not know much about human physiology, but the way the medics were acting would lead him to believe it was not healthy to fuel up on excessive amounts of chocolate.

The fact she admitted Soundwave and the Autobot scout were also in her nightmare gave him further pause. Perhaps, he mused as he glanced at his spymaster, he was not the only one to care about the child. Maybe this was something he could use for his own purposes.

"Soundwave," he addressed quietly as he approached.

His response was to slightly cock his head to indicate he was listening. He had a suspicion the Decepticon leader wanted a few private words with him.

"As you have already undoubtedly guessed, I have grown fond of the child," he admitted to the spymaster in a personal code they had developed before the war. "It is evident she has some attachment to you as well. For this reason, I request a favor of you."

Soundwave assigned more of his processing power to listening. If this was a request to protect the girl once he was free, he didn't need to be asked, he was already planning on it. Of course, he wouldn't be a very good spymaster if he actually let Megatron know that, so he remained silent and let him continue.

"It has become apparent that my body is not with the others, therefore, I will not be restored at the same time. I want you to watch out for the girl in my absence. Will you do this for me?"

"Request; acknowledged. Response; affirmative," was his stoic reply. This was going to be so much easier to accomplish with the mech's blessing, he thought. Now, maybe he wouldn't have to be quite so creative in developing reasons to justify his planned actions. He definitely wasn't going to have to admit to anything on his own end either.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"How are the modifications coming?" Dr. Alistair Carlisle asked the tech in front of him.

"They are ahead of schedule doc," the youth replied exuberantly.

"Good.

"You were able to correct the feedback problem with the secondary relays? I don't want to be strapped into it and suffer a catastrophic failure in my weapons system during a battle."

"Yep. Fixed those first thing. Someone just stripped the wires too far and they were crossing, causing a short in the systems. I replaced one wire that was too short to modify, the rest were easily shortened by one sixteenth of an inch to prevent excessive amounts of bare wire from continuing the problem."

"Very good. We will prepare another test for the suit and its new modifications tomorrow afternoon.

"And Cespedes?"

"Yes sir?"

"Don't call me 'doc' again," he said as he turned and limped out the door.


	34. Chapter Thirtythree

**A/N:**_ So, here's the latest chapter. I've changed the POV shift from the "* * *" to the "VVVVBREAKVVVV" since the former isn't coming through for some reason. Let me know if this doesn't come through as well and I'll see what I can do. If it does, then I'll go back through the previous chapters and fix them. Tracy_

Chapter Thirty-three

"So, why are we tightening up security now that the last Sec. Def. is dead?" Fig asked in confusion.

"Dr. Longhorne was a colleague of Dr. Carlisle," Two-ten informed. "The doc thinks that Longhorne kept some of his files for personal use and is now concerned it may implicate him in some way."

"Why? Was he doing something wrong?"

"I don't know, unless the first cyborg was a kid like Longhorne was saying when he flipped out."

"Why would any parent allow their child to be used in an experiment like that?" Fig asked in horror.

"Who knows? Maybe they didn't have a choice?" J.J. chimed in.

"How would they not have a choice?" Nemes asked in disbelief.

"Death? I heard from someone that the first cyborg was actually Carlisle's orphaned niece," Two-ten speculated.

"Now that you mentioned it," Flaherty added thoughtfully, "I remember someone saying that too, but I don't remember who."

"Me neither," she confirmed.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Maestro watched through the computer as the Deadeyes met before their scheduled shift. This was perfect! They were beginning to respond positively to the subliminal messages he was sending them. Now, it was time to start upping the game a bit;

Accessing Dr. Carlisle's private files concerning his Maimed Angel experiment, he prepared an email attaching the first recording and sent it to the Deadeyes. Maybe this would make them mad enough to challenge him, or at least question his orders.

This would prove most beneficial to Ellie's plan. Now, if he could just figure out how to ensure its success.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"So, why did she get all these extra generators?" Epps asked Clyde as they drove back to the lair.

"She got those for the stasis chambers that were rescued from the ship."

"What ship?"

"There was an Autobot ship that crashed on the hill over the lair," Ironhide informed. "There were eight survivors; Sunstreaker, who is Sideswipe's twin, was badly damaged on the bridge during landing, and Powerglide and six others that we haven't been able to identify yet were in stasis chambers in the main hold."

"Oh. So will they be alright?" Epps asked in confusion as he braced for the one sixty degree turn. He so did not want to end up kissing Clyde's window, thank you very much.

"Don't know yet," the weapons specialist answered.

"Hey, are you gonna give me any training on the lair's defenses?" the human asked to change the subject.

"Yeah. We'll take care of that tomorrow afternoon."

"Me too? I don't know how to operate those weapons you salvaged yet," Clyde asked eagerly.

"You, we will work on in the morning. Then you and I will teach Epps here about the shockers."

"Yes sir!" the truck chirped happily as he pulled into the lair and stopped.

As the pair climbed out of the cab of the truck, Epps noticed Optimus sitting rather stiffly against the wall at the far end of the cavern.

"Hey boss 'bot," he greeted as he approached.

"Robert, thank Primus you are back," the giant leader said with a grateful sigh through his vents.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm afraid Ellie has fallen asleep in a most delicate position."

"What do you mean?"

"She ate all of the chocolate you brought her at once. First Aid said she experienced a 'sugar rush,' which was quickly followed by what Jukes referred to as a 'crash.'"

"I'll bet! That was a lot of chocolate. I'm surprised she didn't get a stomach ache."

"Perhaps she will.

"However, she has fallen asleep inside my armor and I am incapable of retrieving her myself."

"How in the world did she get there?" Epps asked, humorously perplexed.

"I allowed her to sit on my shoulder and she explored the area. She discovered a gap between my chest plate and shoulder armor that she was able to wiggle into. As stated previously, she fell asleep and I cannot retrieve her. I am concerned that trying to do so will cause her injury."

"So, you need me to try and pull her out," the human stated with a chuckle.

"Yes! I am equally concerned that if I move the wrong way, she may fall out, or the armor may compress her beyond endurance."

"Okay, okay. Lift me up to where she is and I'll see what I can do."

Gratefully, Optimus offered the human his hand and raised him up to the top of his chest armor.

"Okay, I can see her. First of all, she ain't going nowhere unless you plan on doing cartwheels. Secondly, I don't think she's in a place that will crush her if you move unless you transform," his voice echoed from inside the Autobot leader's armor.

Optimus released a tense sigh from his air intakes as he visibly relaxed. "Can you retrieve her without harming either of you?"

"Yeah. Give me a minute," he said as he pulled on the girl's underarms.

"Geeze! She's heavy for all the bigger she is!"

"That is probably from her cybernetic components."

"Okay. Got her," he said with a relieved sigh as he pulled her onto his lap.

"Thank you Robert. I greatly appreciate this," the prime stated as he lowered them both to the ground.

"No problem. What are friends for?" he replied as he wiggled his way off the giant hand. Turning around, he picked the girl up bridal style and carried her toward the workroom.

"Hey Mike! Can you show me where her room is?" he asked of the microwave who was directing the placement of his new kitchen.

"Never mind," Jazz said as he rolled away from the perimeter monitor to allow Prowl to take his place. "I'll show him Mike."

Epps followed the 'bot around the corner and through a curtained off partition.

"Here's where she sleeps," the 'bot said as he pulled back the covers on her cot.

"It's awful dark in here," Epps commented.

"Yeah, we have to keep it dark in here because she can't turn off her optic. If she doesn't wear her sunglasses, she gets really bad headaches."

"Oh. So, does that mean she's recording everything that's going on?"

"Yeah. She admitted to it when Ratchet examined her."

"Alright then. So, is one of the girls going to get her ready for bed?"

"Why do they need to? We can do it."

"What? That should really be something between females," he objected uncomfortably.

"Why? We just have to take off her shoes, sweatshirt and glasses."

"Do you mean that she sleeps in her clothes?"

"Of course. How else is she going to sleep?"

"Usually, they have P.J.'s for sleeping."

"P.J.'s?"

"Pajamas? You know, nightclothes?"

"Oh. She doesn't have any."

Epps sighed. It looked like he was going to have to have an intense talk with this little girl. She didn't know the first thing about being human.

Deftly, he took off her shoes and stared in surprise at the robotic stumps he uncovered. "Sweet heaven above," he said on a swift intake of air. Shaking off his surprise, he removed her glasses and gaped at the left side of her face; her eye was gone and, instead, a glowing red orb that reminded him of Terminator stared at him blankly. A ragged edged, burn scar led from her eye back to her ear where it disappeared beneath her hair.

"Oh baby! That man was a monster. No wonder you avoid people.

"I promise that nothing so terrible will ever happen to you again as long as I have a say in the matter," he swore to her as he felt his eyes tear up.

Gritting his teeth at what else he knew was coming, he took off her hooded sweat shirt and laid her back onto her bed. The metal of her arm shined dully from the light coming from the workroom. Finally, he removed her leather gloves and placed them on the crate at the head of her bed.

Tucking her in, he got up swiftly and moved toward the curtained entrance. "You coming?" he asked Jazz.

"Nah, we take turns staying through the night with her.

"She has nightmares," he added by way of explanation.

"Oh. Then, maybe you can tell me what does she use as a bathroom in this place?"

"Out of her room and right past the workroom. There's a corridor that leads uphill right after. Follow it to the top."

"Thanks," he said as he left.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"What is the status of our mechs?" Optimus asked Ratchet as he came from the surgical bay.

"Sunstreaker is stable and we should be able to restore his spark to his body early tomorrow morning. First Aid is connected to him to direct his self-repair systems.

"I'm on my way to the med bay to monitor the connection of those new generators to the stasis chambers. Hopefully, it will give me a better idea as to the status of the survivors."

"Very well then, I will accompany you."

"Excuse me, sir," Hound interrupted.

"Yes?" Optimus asked as he paused.

"When you're done with him, I really need to show you something."

"Of course," he answered as he followed his medic.

"Have you been able to determine who any of the others are yet?" Ratchet asked Hot Rod as he placed the last of the assembled generators next to the last chamber.

"As a matter of fact," the Wrecker started smugly, "I was able to replace three more monitors. So three of them, at least, are Silverbolt, Fireflight and Brawn."

"That will hopefully level things up in the air," Optimus stated thoughtfully. "If the remaining chambers contain the rest of the Aerielbots, then we will have a definite advantage with their combining ability.

"Can you determine their current status?" he turned to his medic.

"Yes. They all are stable and in perfect stasis, however," he started as he watched a readout scroll across the holograph his arm projected. "Each is dangerously low on Energon."

"I thought stasis chambers were designed to replace Energon reserves?" Hot Rod asked in confusion.

"Normally, they are. Unless the chambers were so badly damaged in the crash they began to draw energy from their occupants," he trailed off.

"Or they were on the verge of offlining from lack of fuel," Optimus concluded.

"They could also have been sabotaged," Hound pointed out from the entrance to the med bay.

"Hot Rod, I need you to eliminate that possibility. As soon as Ratchet decides the next course of action, I want you to examine those chambers for signs of tampering. Look at the chambers that did not protect their occupants until then," the leader ordered.

Hot Rod nodded as he rushed off.

"You know the likelihood of all seven of those chambers being damaged in that way is astronomical," Hound stated resignedly.

"I know," the prime confirmed.

"When can you get them out?" he directed at the medic.

"Two hours. I'm going to bypass the chambers' refueling circuitry and feed the energy directly into the occupants. That should stabilize them all enough to get some Energon into them."

"Keep me informed. I wish to be here when you revive them," he told Ratchet.

"With your permission," the medic started, "I'd like to begin to prepare for Ellie's new limbs while we wait for the crash victims to stabilize."

"Permission granted," the prime nodded to his medic.

"Now, you wanted to show me something?" he turned to Hound.

"Follow me," the unit leader motioned.

"What is it?"

"While ya'll were gone, the girl told me where she put the sparks of Flashlight and Splash. I really have to tell you, it's amazing!"

Transforming into their alts, Hound led his leader down the ramp that led to the heavy water lake and turned left at the bottom. After three minutes of driving, he stopped in front of a pair of quartz encased granite columns with a quartz arch connecting them at over two hundred feet. Reverting back to his bipedal mode, he motioned to his leader to transform and enter.

Curious, Optimus transformed and walked between the columns, stopping and staring in awe as soon as he crossed the threshold.

"She calls it the cathedral," Hound supplied from his left shoulder.

"I can see why. It is truly beautiful," he responded as he allowed his optics to scan the massive space;

Nearly five hundred feet wide by three times as long, the space contained stones arranged like benches large enough for ten Cybertronians of his own size to sit on. They were arranged on either side of a wide central aisle that led to some sort of podium or altar. Quartz encased granite columns supported a roof of latticed quartz that domed above the entire space. The fading light of dusk gave the scene an ethereal effect, tiny rainbows dancing along the surfaces from the prismatic properties in the quartz.

"She put the sparks over here," Hound motioned to his right.

Optimus followed his unit leader to the side aisle that ran on the outside of the supporting columns. Once behind the columns, he could see small niches cut into the wall that looked like the perfect size for a spark to reside. Looking along the corridor, he noticed crystals sitting on pedestals close to the walls. They looked familiar . . . accessing his memories, he quickly located the files he needed and could not help the sound of surprise that escaped his vocal processors.

"What is it?" Hound asked, alarmed.

"Have you ever been to the Primus Museum and Temple in Iacon?"

"Naw, never made it to Iacon before the war."

"They had a display of ancient crystals that were used as recording devices. According to their records, they were used by Primus himself. Those are the same kind of crystals."

"How do they work?"

"It was believed that they would create a direct optic data burst when properly activated."

"So, how are they activated?"

"I'm not sure," Optimus said as he approached the closest crystal. He got to within ten feet of the device when he froze.

"Optimus? You alright?" Hound asked in concern.

After fifteen seconds of no movement, he jerked back in surprise. "Apparently, it is a proximity trigger," the prime answered as he shook his head.

"Did you see something?"

"Yes. It was the last meeting held here.

"This expanse is the city Ellie's ancestors have been protecting.

"I want you to bring Grapple here and have him examine all structures for stability. Perhaps this place will be our new home," he ordered.

"What are you talking about?"

"The last meeting held here separated the biological survivors of Uriel's world from the technological life forms the infected survivors became. If the Cybertronians remained behind, then there is a very real possibility that there was an energy source of some kind here. Maybe even Energon."


	35. Chapter Thirty Four

**A/N:**_ So, here's the latest, but not quite "greatest," chapter. Sorry about this one, but I just tried to push it out to get closer to the first really big plot twist. As always, Read, Review, ask questions, etc. Tracy_

**_P.S. _**_Let me know if you have any ideas for some of the other mentioned characters that seem to have worked their way out of the story for the moment._

Chapter Thirty-four:

"Mr. President," Jennifer Agosto started, "before we begin, I must confess something to you."

"What is it Jen?" the President encouraged through the monitor screen.

"I have been having a romantic relationship with Dr. Alistair Carlisle. He is the scientist that is responsible for this whole mess. It is his niece that Jason was referring to."

"She's the 'Maimed Angel'?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes sir. So you reviewed the videos?"

The president grimaced and paled. "Unfortunately, yes I did.

"And you had no idea he did this?"

"No sir. I didn't want to believe he was capable of something so heartless."

"You believe he is now?"

"Yes sir. I'm afraid I was blinded to the truth. I can now say that it is not only possible, but probable he did those things to her."

"Very well. Since you're probably going to tender your resignation as a result of this, I'm afraid I will have to accept it after we have a game plan in place to deal with Jason's mess."

"Yes sir.

"Optimus Prime wants us to tell the media the truth."

"What is the truth Jen?"

"That Alistair manipulated his position as guardian of a severely injured child to carry out illegal human experiments on her. That no one in this administration, except Jason, had any knowledge about those experiments until the Autobots brought them to our attention, and that they were granted temporary custody of the girl to protect her from Alistair and try to repair the injuries that were done to her."

"What is the extent of her injuries?" General Morgan asked from the seat next to her.

"According to Ratchet, the Autobots' medical officer, her current limbs are too small for her, the arm was improperly attached, most of the implants in her brain are wrong, she has exposed circuitry in her audial implant and her optic has no protection from outside elements. There's also the minor detail that she can't turn off either her optic or audial implant, which means she is constantly receiving input from them both," the security advisor answered.

"How did Jason learn about the girl?" the president wanted to know.

"He performed a few of the surgeries on her while under her uncle's control. It was when he was a part of Sector Seven," the general informed.

"Damn," the president swore on a sigh.

"Alright then," he continued, "this is what we're going to do; I will issue a statement that a scientist assigned to the former Sector Seven division used his position to conduct illegal human experiments on his orphaned niece. I'll further explain that the Autobots recently found out about it and are moving quickly to reverse the negative effects of those experiments on the girl. There also will be a blurb about how Jason was a part of those experiments while he was in private practice, and you, Jen, as a result of not knowing his past, have tendered your resignation."

"Yes sir," she agreed with a defeated sigh. She had known there would have to be at least one patsy, and it looked as if it was going to be her.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Optimus was standing in the surgical bay watching Ratchet and First Aid work on preparing Sunstreaker's spark casing to receive it. Finally, satisfied that everything was acceptable, they opened the holo preserver and removed the brightly glowing spark. First Aid held it gently as Ratchet ran a scan over it, making sure there were no ill effects from his time there. With a brusque nod from his chief medical officer, First Aid gently lowered the spark back into the casing. Ratchet, quickly and efficiently, attached vital cords and lines into their proper places on the spark.

"There!" First Aid grinned as he removed his hands from the cavity. "That should do it."

"Mmph! Let's see how his body reacts before we start to celebrate," the elder medic cautioned.

Optimus, the medics, including Livewire, and Sideswipe all watched with hope in their sparks for the first signs of life from the previously inert body.

"All systems appear to be booting up appropriately," Livewire stated from his position in front of the monitoring device at the body's head.

"Good, good. It looks like the lines are all holding," Ratchet stated as he continued to scan their work.

"Hey! He's closing his casing!" First Aid crowed happily.

"I see that," Ratchet murmured drily.

As soon as the casing was closed, the rest of the open plating began to close up quickly.

"All systems reading normal," Livewire said with a smile.

"That's what I'm reading too. Shall we bring him out of medical stasis?" First Aid asked eagerly.

"You have that Energon Optimus? Sideswipe?" Ratchet asked of the two 'bots that were hovering just outside of the surgical area.

"Right here," Optimus answered for them.

"Then I guess we can. Just keep an optic on his readings," the chief medic ordered the spindly smaller one.

Nodding to First Aid, he watched the younger medic enter the proper sequence into the touch screen connected to Sunstreaker's cranial processor to revive their patient.

The blue optics of the prone Autobot flickered briefly before they came back on fully.

"How you feeling Sunstreaker?" Ratchet asked the patient, taking note of how long it took him to focus.

"Energon," he asked weekly in his native Cybertronian.

Eagerly, Sideswipe rushed forward with his supply to his twin. Gently, he propped up the other to allow him to properly drink the fuel down.

"We're going to have to move him to the med bay," Ratchet advised as he took the Energon from Optimus, he knowledgeably popped open the injured twin's refueling valve to directly replenish his fuel supply.

"You plan on operating on Ellie here?" Livewire asked in confusion.

"Where's the femmelet?" Sunstreaker wanted to know. He didn't know the odd language the small mech was using yet, but he had recognized the little femme's designation.

"She should be in recharge," Sideswipe answered.

"If I have to, but first, I want to put in proper clean measures so we can begin to fashion her new implants."

"What are they saying?" Sunstreaker demanded of his twin. He only knew they were talking about his rescuer.

In answer, Sideswipe sent a data burst of the languages of the planet. After a moment of opening and downloading the files, he could understand what the medics where talking about.

"What's wrong with Ellie?" Sunstreaker asked in the new, alien tasting, language.

"She is ill," Livewire answered distractedly.

"What are the proper clean measures you need to implement?" Optimus asked.

"Humans have very delicate systems," Ratchet informed, "and as such, they cannot have even little more than a molecule of foreign substance within their bodies. If something does make its way inside, it will cause an infection or any number of other complications. Because of this, we have to erect sterile dividers around the areas we will be working. That also includes some sort of ceiling cover and floor covering and sterilization measures for her surgeons."

"The spidrobots will be more than willing to create enough cloth to make a large enough tent," Livewire was certain.

"Good. However, I was also able to bring enough sterilized material to get started on fashioning her new limbs and servos."

"Why do you need to make her new limbs?" Sunstreaker was getting frustrated.

"The short version," Livewire started with a huff, "is that she was orphaned and severely injured as a toddler, given to her uncle to raise who then used her as a human experiment. During the last round of experiments he subjected her to, he screwed up and now they are beginning to take a negative toll on her physically.

"Specifically speaking about her limbs; they are, firstly, too small for her, secondly, they are uncovered and prone to all sorts of problems, including rusting and finally because they make her self-conscious."

Sunstreaker paused for a moment to search the data burst files to find the definitions of "toddler," "uncle," "human," and "screwed." He did not like what he found.

"Now that that is over," Ratchet began. "Let's get him moved to the med bay so we can keep an optic on him for a couple days."

Leaning forward, Optimus gently picked up the smaller mech from the makeshift berth and turned to carry him, bridal style, to the main medical bay.

"Hey! Watch my paint, boss," Sunstreaker wined.

Optimus' lip plates twitched for a moment. If the vain mech was well enough to worry about his paint, then he was well on his way to recovery. "Of course, Sunstreaker."

TAKINGTHEPLACEOFMY5V'SBREAKBECAUSEFANFICTIONDOTNET EATSMOREBREAKSTHANADRYEREATSSOCKS

Sunstreaker looked around in wonder at the caverns he traveled through. The structure in the center of the second cavern held what looked like a small arena. He saw several holographs hovering over it and was curious about its purpose. Finally, they walked through the main workroom, which he remembered from when Sideswipe had turned him on, and across a corridor into yet another large cavern.

"Who are they?" he asked, motioning to the stasis chambers arranged along the back wall.

"The Aerielbots plus Powerglide and Brawn," Hot Rod announced proudly.

"Did you find that traitor, Slipspin?" Sunstreaker asked with vehemence.

"No, why do you call him a traitor?" Optimus asked in concern as he placed the angry mech on the berth.

"Cause he's the slagging pit-spawn that brought down the Eight Track!"

"I'm sorry? What happened?"

"He was on duty with Flashlight and Splash while the rest of us where in our stasis pods. My internal warnings started going off about low Energon levels, so I got myself out to go to the dispenser. Since it sounded like Splints had a difficult patient in the infirmary, I went to the one near the bridge. That's when I found both Splash and Flashlight dead at the controls and Slipspin was missing.

"I ran back to medical to see if he was there, and he was. He had killed the patient and was fighting with Splints. Unfortunately, he used my entrance as a distraction to kill the medic and then he turned toward me. He was able to get one of my arms, but then I was able to wound him. We fought our way back to the bridge where a shot went wide and took out the autopilot. While we were tumbling through space, he was able to get my leg, and ran back toward the hold. Since I couldn't go after him, I had to climb up onto the vacant chair and strap myself in before we crashed.

"My memory files end at that point."

"I see," Optimus said sadly.

"What did you find out about the other stasis chambers?" the prime turned his attention to Hot Rod.

"Just what you thought, they were all rigged."

"That would explain why these seven were the only ones to survive," First Aid mused. "They are flyers, they have extra fuel reserves because they go through it so quickly. Brawn, because of his mass, doesn't use his so quickly, so he would have had extra when he got into the pod."

"Hey! It looks like someone is up from her recharge," Sideswipe noticed Ellie standing at the entrance to the med bay.

"Optimus?" she asked miserably.

"Yes Ellie?" the large mech asked gently as he knelt down to offer her his hand.

Eagerly, the girl climbed on and held onto his thumb as he stood and raised her to his chest. "My stomach aches."

"Hmph! I bet," Ratchet muttered disapprovingly. "Why did you eat all of that chocolate?" he decided to ask.

"'Cause Bumblebee got in trouble because of me. Sometimes, if I can munch on something sweet, it makes me feel better," she answered as she snuggled closer to Optimus' chest and yawned. "And I felt really, really, REALLY bad."

"Well you really have to not do that anymore," Optimus decided.

"Yes, it can lead to all sorts of problems, including eating disorders," First Aid started reciting.

"Yes, yes," Ratchet interrupted. He knew that First Aid had a habit of reciting entire passages of medical information when he was intrigued by something new. These humans happened to be his newest intrigue.

"Did you go to the bathroom Ellie?" Livewire wanted to know. "It might make you feel better."

The girl nodded as she leaned against his windshield.

"Yes," Optimus translated.

"Do you feel any better?" Livewire asked.

She shrugged her shoulders.

"She doesn't know yet," the Autobot leader translated again.

"Hey! You're awake," she noticed Sunstreaker sitting up on a new berth Ratchet had brought back with them.

"Yes I am, femmelet," Sunstreaker nodded.

She giggled at the expression. "Can I see him a minute?" she asked of her transformer taxi.

Smiling, he walked over to his recovering front liner and gently handed her off to him. She scrambled up his chest plates and gave him an awkward hug around the neck cables.

"I'm glad you're not in two pieces anymore," she told him. Then, gently, she kissed his cheek plate and signaled to return to Optimus.

"I hope that doesn't rust," Sunstreaker groused good naturedly. "But thanks. I'm glad too."

"You already were rusty," she informed him as she lay across the giant hand.

"What? I have never been rusty in my entire existence," he defended hotly.

"Uh-huh!" she nodded as she yawned again. "I had to take WD-forty to you when we first pulled you in from the hill."

"I was rusty?" he asked in disbelief.

She nodded again. "Yeah, Jukes was worried it might have been contagious."

"There's no sign of any rust now," First Aid informed before he could work himself up.

"Ah yes," Ratchet said thoughtfully. "The humans insist on using that substance quite liberally. I haven't gotten around to testing its usefulness or side effects on our bodies yet."

"There's plenty on her work bench," Livewire supplied as he continued to monitor Sunstreaker's vitals.

"Perhaps that is something we can get Que to research while we finish with the stasis chambers and work on her implants and limbs," First Aid suggested.

"I believe she has returned to a recharge state," Optimus informed the group at large.

"Jazz should be out in the hall. He was on shift with her tonight," Livewire directed.

"On shift for what?" Sunstreaker demanded.

Livewire audibly sighed with reluctant resignation. "She has nightmares. One of us will stay with her in her room overnight to try and keep her from hurting herself when she has them. When we first set up here, she had a bad reaction to one and ran into a wall. Gave herself a concussion and a scar just at her hairline."

"When was the last time she had one?" First Aid wanted to know. He had downloaded all sorts of files about the human phenomena of night terrors, and was curious about their accuracy.

"She had a nightmare last night that she seemed to be able to bring herself out of. If you are curious about the other activities, like sleep walking, then that would have been two nights before she met up with you guys at the industrial complex."

"What happened with that episode?" Ratchet wanted to know.

"According to Jukes, she got up and hid in the bathroom until he could put her back in bed. So, fortunately, nothing major with that one."

"Do you notice if they occur when she is overly tired?" First Aid asked.

"No. Actually, she seems to sleep better when she is exhausted. The night after she has an exhausted sleep is usually when they strike," Livewire informed.

"I will put her back in bed. You three will try to determine what effects this will have on her," Optimus ordered as he turned and walked out of the room.

When he turned into the corridor, he saw Jazz standing just outside of a curtained off area.

"I have her, old friend," he greeted his former second in command and best friend.

"Good. I was beginning to get worried."

"Yes. She found us in the med bay with Sunstreaker. He has been restored to his body, if you would like to go check on him."

"Nah, I can see him tomorrow.

"I'll show you how to put her to bed, but you'll probably have to stay outside and lean into her room."

"Very well," the Autobot leader agreed as he knelt in front of the entrance as Jazz held the curtain back. Gently, he reached in and rolled the girl off his hand and onto her bed.

"Hope she doesn't get sea sick!" the smaller mech chuckled. Still laughing to himself, he efficiently pulled off her boots and glasses, then placed her feet back on the cot and covered her.

"How long do you expect her to recharge now?"

"Maybe another four or five hours. She tends to wake up between eight and nine most mornings."

Optimus nodded thoughtfully. "If you need anything, someone will be in the med bay all night. I believe I will try out that plasma bath Clyde and Bonecrusher informed us about. Perhaps I will even get some recharge myself." Pushing himself back from Ellie's quarters, he stood to his full height, turned and walked back toward the bathing area.


	36. Chapter Thirty Five

**A/N:**_ So here's the latest chapter folks. Hope you all enjoy it. Sorry if it seems to time skip a bit, but things are starting to get interesting. Next chapter will definitely have the first great hurdle for the developing relationship of Ellie and Optimus. As always, please read and review. Let me know how to make the story more enjoyable for you. Tracy_

Chapter Thirty-five

Well this was certainly an unwelcome development, Maestro thought as the email made its way to Dr. Carlisle's account. It was from the head researcher on the rebuilding project. According to him, all bodies of the NBE's would be completely reassembled in sixteen days.

Quickly, he sent back an acknowledgment and authorization for twenty-four hour shifts, including overtime, if necessary.

No doubt surprised with the quickness in reply, the researcher sent back his own acknowledgment and a new estimate that the NBE's would be completely rebuilt in seven to eight days.

Maestro watched the security feed of the researcher's terminal for his reaction and quickly sent back a final approval.

Now, to inform Ellie.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

She felt surprisingly better when she woke up that morning. Looking at the foot of her bed, she saw Jazz folded up into his standard recharge pose. That was funny, he was usually up before her. Shrugging, she threw back the covers and sat up. Jazz still didn't move. Smiling devilishly, she quickly grabbed a change of clothes, and slipped out of her room.

Noticing that it was still dark, she made her way toward the entrance, just to see if any new texts had come in overnight. She was ecstatic at the message from Maestro, before she sobered as a thought occurred to her.

"Jazz always says it's sometimes better to ask for forgiveness than permission," she muttered aloud.

"Clyde? When's your shift over?" she asked the mech at the entrance.

"Half hour, then I have twelve free hours before I take over the defenses."

"Alright. Would you be able to meet me at the arena when you're done? I want to have a meeting with them and I'm going to need you to leave right away afterwards to send a couple messages."

"No problem Ellie. How long will it take?"

"Shouldn't be too long. Maybe twenty minutes or so."

Clyde nodded before he turned back to his post.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Barricade stopped short and read the text again. The girl had requested his presence for a meeting the following afternoon. There wasn't mention of who else would attend, but he knew the Autobots would send a contingent to help protect the girl. The question then became; how could he use this to his advantage without letting Prime's forces know he was manipulating the situation?

Perhaps, he thought, this would provide a means of putting the girl in play against his enemies sooner rather than later.

Making his decision, he sent a text to her acknowledging his presence at this meeting. Next, he sent out the com to his mechs; they would be meeting in twenty Earth minutes to formulate several contingency plans. He wanted to make sure this wasn't some sort of trap.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"You did what?" Prowl was enraged. "How could you do this? What were you even thinking to decide on such an action?" He felt a glitch coming on.

"Calm down Prowl," Optimus' quiet order was laced with steel. "Well?" he turned his attention back to the girl as she stood defiantly in the middle of the med bay.

"What? I told you this was always my plan, and now I have a way to get inside without killing anyone," she explained logically.

"And what, exactly, is this non-fatal method you are so convinced about?" Ratchet was curious.

Ellie sighed and fidgeted. "Well . . . one of the tests my uncle always did on me when it was time to replace my legs was to give me some sort of electric jolt that always killed the electronics in my implants. Since he already did it to me, I figured it would probably work on his guys too."

"Do you happen to know anything about the charge he used?" First Aid was curious.

She shook her head in a negative. "But, he always saved copies of everything he did to me inside my implants. Unfortunately, I can't get in to it. Maybe one of you guys could hack into it?" she asked hopefully.

"That still doesn't explain why you held this meeting and set up another meeting without telling us!" Prowl was still livid. He cycled his vents on high to try and prevent the glitch he knew was coming.

"Not to mention all of the problems that could arise from hacking into your implants," Ratchet was concerned.

"Jazz always says it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission!" she defended belligerently. "Besides, I am telling you about it now."

"I should have known," Prowl muttered darkly. His right optic began to blink as a sign of how close he was to keeling over.

"Hey! Don't even bring me into this," Jazz interrupted. "I'm just as clueless about this whole thing as the rest of you."

"Enough," Optimus stated simply. "Ellie, why did you set up a meeting with Barricade and the Air Command?"

"Because we need their help to get us into the base to restore these guys to their bodies."

"Us?"

"Of course! You really don't think I'm going to try this on my own do you?"

"With you, it wouldn't surprise me," Jukes was sure to chime in.

"So what is this plan?" Optimus wanted to know.

"Generally, we'll have Maestro trap as many people as he can inside and evacuate the lab where the bodies are. Those people who remain outside, we'll have to either subdue or capture."

"Mm-hmm," the prime nodded dubiously. "How do you recommend we do that?"

"Like I said, shock them or pick them up and put them somewhere safe. In case you haven't noticed, you guys are like a hundred times bigger than humans, so I figure you guys could probably pick them up easy enough."

"It is against every tenant we hold sacred to deny humans their right to choose."

"You aren't denying their right to choose, you're protecting them from getting hurt when they make the wrong choice," Ellie replied with the logic of a child.

"So why do we need the help of the 'Cons?" Sideswipe wanted to know.

"'Cause they have fliers and a little bit of a selfish interest in making this work."

"We have fliers too," First Aid informed quietly.

"Since when?"

"They are survivors from the Eight Track," Ratchet informed.

"Oh. Still, they might not be healthy enough in time," she pointed out. "Besides, even if they are, they can act as insurance against the Deceptacon fliers to make sure they don't try any sort of double cross."

"How do you suggest we guarantee the compliance of the Air Command?" Prowl demanded as his optic stopped its blinking. As much as he hated to admit it, her plan did have a decent foundation. It definitely needed to be fleshed out a little bit more, though.

"You want to give them Starscream back," Optimus surmised when she looked quickly over at the recharge table.

"Well, we can't give them Megatron 'cause his body isn't there. So, Starscream seems to be the best alternative, especially since Jazz and Ironhide both said that he was an easy leader to defend against."

"You are bound and determined to get me into trouble, aren't you?" Jazz demanded amusedly.

"Well, you did say that," she defended.

"It might work," Optimus mused thoughtfully.

"What?" the others chorused as a distinct metallic "thud" was Prowl's response.

"Oh! Is he alright?" Ellie asked in concern.

Jazz, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe laughed uproariously as Ratchet knelt by the downed tactician and brought him back online.

"Yeah. He's fine. He just glitched. Does it all the time," Jazz informed in between chuckles.

"Glitched?" she was curious.

"It's the Cybertronian equivalent of fainting," First Aid answered.

"Oh. I think," she wasn't quite sure how to react to that.

"Alright guys! Human talking here," Epps interrupted. "Might I point out that if any of this is going to work, someone is going to have to nose around in Ellie's head?"

"Yes, I was thinking about that. Perhaps we can get Bumblebee to do it," First Aid suggested.

"Why Bumblebee?" Optimus wanted to know.

"Well, they already have a spark connection of some kind, plus he's a spy, so he is equipped to 'hack' into other databases," the young medic informed.

"How can they have a spark connection? She's a biologic, she doesn't have a spark," Sunstreaker pointed out from his berth.

"I remember reading something that might actually make sense," Epps, surprisingly, spoke up.

"You see, humans have an electrical impulse running through us called a bio-electric current," he started. "I'm guessing that your spark is, essentially, the same thing.

"Now, everyone has a unique bio-electric signature, so maybe hers is just more compatible or something to his spark's electric signature."

For a few minutes, no one said anything. Epps and Ellie both began to fidget uncomfortably until Ratchet finally broke the silence.

"That is an entirely plausible hypothesis."

Optimus nodded his agreement before he brought the subject back to the issue at hand; "Very well.

"Hound, we need someone to take over for Bumblebee. He is needed here to see if he can access her implants. Elita One, send a text to Maestro to request a complete schematic to Dr. Carlisle's base as well as the standard protocols for various evacuation procedures. We need to know if there is a way he can evacuate the lab where the Cybertronian bodies are, and also somehow seal the other doors at the same time. We want to keep the humans he has been lying to as safe as possible.

"Prowl, Jazz, Jukes, you need to develop several plans to get the medics inside of this lab and minimize the risk of casualties, both human and Cybertronian. Make sure to allow for both scenarios of with and without Deceptacon aid.

"Anyone else have anything?"

"I do. Will you help me pick out who else we're going to restore?" Ellie asked him hopefully.

"My Autobots, of course," Optimus started.

"Except Ironhide, since his body looks to be all rusted out."

"Of course. Definitely not Sentinel Prime. He betrayed us once and caused the complete destruction of Cybertron. If we restored him, he would just be destroyed again."

"Yeah, I don't like him. He's sneaky and he's trying to get the rest of the guys to unite against me," she admitted offhandedly.

"That does not surprise me, I am sorry to say."

"Well, I think we should restore Shockwave."

"What? Why Shockwave?" Sunstreaker demanded.

"'Cause he's a doctor too, and if we restore him, he can help restore the others."

"I am uneasy about restoring any Deceptacon," Optimus admitted.

"It's been a long war," the girl consoled as she put a comforting hand on his foot. "Maybe it's time to start healing. It might just be that doing this will give any Deceptacons that don't believe in that cause anymore a reason to leave."

"I wouldn't trust any so called converted 'Cons as far as I could toss Devestator," Sideswipe answered vehemently.

"I didn't say they'd change sides to the Autobots, I just said they'd leave the Deceptacons," Ellie clarified.

The Autobot leader looked down at the child thoughtfully. She was right. It was a long war and it was far past time to start healing. "Perhaps, Ellie, it would be a shorter list to decide who we will not restore."

"Well, there's three on that list by my count," she smiled up at him.

"We should not allow Soundwave to be restored either."

"Why?" the shrillness of her request informed him she did not agree with the idea.

"He is the Deceptacons' communications officer and a spymaster. If we return him to functionality, he will be able to access just about any database on Earth, including those of our allies."

"But if we don't restore him, but do restore his mini's, then they'll cause a lot more trouble trying to get him back than if we just restore him so he can keep control of them," she tried to argue on one breath.

"No, Ellie. He is far too dangerous. You cannot restore him."

The way she jerked her hand from his foot and hugged herself made Optimus' spark shift uncomfortably in his chest. Then, when she looked at him as if he had just told her that her favorite superhero was a liar, he felt his spark plummet. He never wanted to hurt her, but he had to stand by this decision; restoring Soundwave would hurt the Autobots far more than she realized.

The sound of metallic footfalls interrupted his thoughts as he watched her turn and run toward them. Her reaction told him it was Bumblebee she was running toward.

"The femmelet didn't look too happy about your decision, boss," Sunstreaker pointed out.

"No, she wasn't. Regrettably, it was a necessary decision."

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Bumblebee was curious about what had made his little translator upset so suddenly. Tentatively, he opened the bond fully on his own end and was swamped by the girl's emotions as he scooped her up to his neck. She turned her head into his cables and hugged him fiercely, desperately fighting the tears she wanted to shed.

He sent a feeling of warmth and understanding along the bond to her and was amazed when she answered with her own feelings of warmth and gratitude. Then, he was there, seeing and hearing the meeting through her eyes.

The download took only a moment, much like a data burst, however, this was decidedly not a data burst. It was an empathic exchange, he realized. Excitedly, he rushed into the med bay and went straight to the white board. Sending her the message to hold on tight while he spoke with Ratchet, he popped off the cap to the dry-erase marker and hurriedly started writing.

"Ellie showed me what happened. Think it was an actual empathic exchange.

"Anyway, willing to try to get into her implants. However, don't think will need any sort of data connection. Let me try a remote through our bond, think it will be safer for her."

"How is that even possible?" First Aid was curious.

"We can answer that!" Sideswipe volunteered. "If you share a spark, like me and Sunstreaker do, you can also experience what the other half of your spark is feeling."

"Including the experiences that caused those feelings," Sunstreaker finished.

"Bumblebee! She's only twelve Earth years old. That hardly sounds appropriate," Jazz teased.

In confusion, the scout looked back over what he had written, then compared it with every nuance file of American culture he had compiled before he found it.

"Get your processor out of the gutter," he scribbled as he made a rude noise. He felt his spark lighten when the girl giggled.

"So, do you want to get into those files my uncle downloaded into my implants first? Or do you want me to try and work on your vocal processors?" she asked as she regained her composure.

"What do you mean by working on his vocal processors?" Ratchet demanded.

Bumblebee cooed at her and nuzzled her arm.

"Please don't be mad at me Ratchet. I just want to help," she started.

"I don't know if I'm mad at you yet. Tell me what you meant about working on his vocal processors so I can decide."

"Well, Bumble told me that you keep fixing his vocal processors and it hasn't been permanent yet. So I wanted to just see if maybe my size could find something you couldn't."

"How, exactly, did you intend on finding something I might have missed?"

"The only way I know of figuring out how something works is to tear it apart. Maybe I could tear his apart and you and First Aid could help me figure out what keeps messing up?"

"Alright. I'll help you, if he's willing. But, Bumblebee, you should know we have no idea how she will react to having her implants hacked. So it's up to you which you want to do first."

"How long?" the scout asked.

"I don't know about the intel gathering, but the vocal processors could take up to three hours or longer. Even then, there's no guarantee it will work."

"Let her work on my vocal processors. It will help forge a stronger bond that might improve the chances of success with the hack."

"Alright then, take that empty berth. It's going to be painful, so I'm going to have to put you in to medical stasis," Ratchet began to order as he gently scooped the girl off the scout. "In the meantime, everyone else needs to get out. You too Sideswipe. And if you, Sunstreaker, should start, I'm going to put you in a medical stasis too."

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

One thing that Soundwave had learned in the time he had been with the girl was how to read her. The fact she did not agree with the prime's decision to not restore him gave him hope. He knew she wouldn't outright lie to the Autobot leader, but he also knew she would find a way to keep her word to him without disobeying the letter of Prime's order.

The other thing they were discussing; a bond? Between his Ellie and the scout? Was it possible that the human's bio-electric signature was compatible to spark energy? He turned his processing power to figuring out the probability that it was true. He left the problem about Prime's order to the girl. If nothing else, he had absolute faith the girl would figure out a solution.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Ellie was sitting on Bumblebee's chest when First Aid brought him back online. She smiled in greeting when his optics came back online and he raised his head to look at her. Well, okay, so he was looking at what was sitting on his chest, but still, it was her, so he was looking at her.

"Don't try to talk yet," she told him when he seemed to brighten after he identified her. "Ratchet says you need to give it a couple hours to reset. Turns out that one of the crystals inside of the processor relay was cracked. We had to replace it 'cause it fell apart when we took the specific board it was on out to look at it."

"I never would have discovered it if she hadn't insisted on opening your vocalizer," Ratchet agreed, leaning into his field of view.

"He wants to know what affect the new crystal will have on his voice," she translated.

"Probably a change in timbre and pitch, but otherwise, it should be fine. You should maintain your accent and speech patterns unless you want to change them," First Aid answered from the prone scout's other side.

"He wants to know how long he has to wait to start talking."

"Maybe six hours or so. Then, for the next twenty-four, you should try to use it sparingly. And try not to yell or scream within that time. It may just prove enough to shatter that new crystal too," Ratchet ordered.

Bumblebee nodded and levered himself up to a sitting position as he kept a protective hand around the girl. He looked at her and cooed with a questioning sound.

"I'm ready if you are.

"He wants to know if I'm ready for him to try and hack into my uncle's files," she informed the medics.

"Wait. Let's get Livewire in here to monitor her. We don't want to take the chance if something goes wrong," Ratchet said as he nodded to First Aid.

Ellie sighed in exasperation. Like Bumble would let anything go wrong. She knew he would protect her from anything bad, he told her he would. She just knew she could trust him, Boomer too, even if Optimus didn't. She didn't need Livewire to babysit her.

Bumblebee made an electronic coughing sound as he gave the equivalent of a robotic snort before he nuzzled the tiny human in his hand.

"Careful with that voice box," she cautioned.

"Fortunately, that particular sound does not come from the processor we just repaired," Ratchet informed as First Aid walked back in with Livewire following.

"That's good then."

"What was he laughing at?" Sunstreaker was curious.

Ellie shrugged, "I was just thinking that Bumble wouldn't let anything go wrong and I knew I could trust him. So maybe I was just a little annoyed that Ratchet thinks I need a babysitter."

"You are a baby, so deal with it," Livewire admonished good-naturedly as First Aid lifted him to the berth.

"Can we do this now? I really don't like the idea my uncle was using me to keep his mean secrets," she said, ignoring the comment.

"Very well, you can proceed," Livewire permitted as he kept his medi-scanner trained on her head.


	37. Chapter Thirty Six

**A/N:**_ Here's the latest chapter. Hope you guys enjoy it. Tried to check in with some of the other characters, but trust me, it's all leading somewhere BIG. As always, please read and review, and watch for the author's offer at the end. Tracy_

Chapter Thirty-six

"So what's going on with the prisoners, Mirage?" General Lennox asked the Autobot in command.

"Dr. Zadak was able to save Major Ellis' life and replace his cybernetic leg. Jolt was able to repair his audial and disable the explosive components to the other's implants. The first wave of attackers are proving to be difficult, including three who attempted to commit suicide. The unit that surrendered is proving helpful. In fact, I would recommend they be allowed some limited freedom."

"Alright, I'll have Lieutenant Crosby work out some sort of escort detail for them. Will you let him use some of the other Autobots?"

"Of course," he started as the sound of voices escalating was punctuated by the sound of metal against concrete.

"Except, maybe, the twins," he finished.

"Definitely."

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"It seems kind of quiet in here, doesn't it?" Paul Nemes said as he sat at the Deadeye's table.

"Yeah, that's what happens when you lose a couple divisions in a failed rescue attempt," Two-ten agreed.

"Is that why they've tripled up our rotations?" Cassie Ingrahm asked.

"One of them. Primarily, it's because the doc is afraid one of the numbers'll talk and the bad guys'll try to attack us."

"So, how do we know we're not on the side of the bad guys already?" Flaherty asked absently.

For a moment, no one answered.

What if they were on the wrong side? Fig thought as he took a bite of his jambalaya.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Maestro smiled inside his processors. Judging from the conversation of the Deadeyes, the subliminals were starting to work. Now, maybe it was time to fine tune the message a bit.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Bumblebee was not happy about the files he retrieved from Ellie," Ratchet informed Optimus Prime.

"What did he discover?"

"First of all, she was downplaying the quantity and severity of the experiments her so-called kin subjected her to. Also, there were some files from her implants that she didn't share. Most of them he is keeping to himself; he believes that she was either trying to figure them out herself, or was trying to keep a promised confidence. . . . "

"But?" Optimus prompted when the medic trailed off.

"But, there was one she kept that she brought to Soundwave after we left. He didn't translate it for her, but he gave her enough of the gist to make her flag it as a concern."

"What did it say?"

"He has only been able to partially translate it. Apparently, it is in an internal dialogue code that will take him a few hours to figure out. However, according to Soundwave, it is Barricade fantasizing about taking revenge on him for something that angered the front-liner."

"If that is true, then perhaps the Deceptacon movement is beginning to lose momentum. Hopefully, Megatron was the glue that was holding the faction together, and now that he is here, it is beginning to fall apart."

"We can only hope."

"What did the other files contain? The ones her uncle stored in her implants?"

"I can data burst them to you, but I must warn you; they are even more disturbing than the ones we've already seen." The medic sent the files at Optimus' nod and watched as his leader's optics dimmed when he received them, then flared to a dangerous magnitude once he downloaded them.

"How can anyone do that to a youngling of any species?" he demanded of the universe.

"I wish I knew."

"I believe this Dr. Carlisle may be the one human to change my mind about harming members of this species."

Heaving a great sigh through his vents in an effort to regain his clarity, he continued, "Still, she allowed us to access these files for a purpose. I will share the information regarding his disruption experiments with Prowl and Ironhide. Perhaps they can use it to come up with a method to temporarily offline the cyborgs' implants without harming them."

"Livewire would be of benefit in that regard as well."

"Very well. We will ask him to help if he is willing."

"There was something else Bumblebee found," Ratchet interrupted.

"What is it?"

"He found battle protocols programed into her motor-control hub."

"Have they been activated?"

"No. If they had been, Ellie would be dead. It was a suicide, sleeper assassin protocol.

"He's already deactivated the programming," he hastened to add, "but was unable to deactivate the trigger."

The giant mech stood there in absolute stillness as he processed the information. His cooling fans kicked on maximum and his hydraulics hissed dangerously as they pressurized in response to his rising anger.

"For the first time in my entire existence, including this endless war, I believe I actually want to see another sentient being dead. Preferably, by my own hand."

"Hey Optimus!" Ellie called out as Bumblebee carried her into the med bay. "Are you here to welcome the sleeping guys too?"

Gently, he reached his outstretched palm toward the girl to climb on to. "I did not know it was happening yet.

"You are going to open the stasis pods?" he turned his attention to his medic.

Ratchet nodded as he took note of how the interaction between the girl and his leader seemed to calm the mech. Already, his hydraulics had depressurized and his fans did not seem to be laboring quite so much.

"Hey! You're warm. Are you feeling alright? You didn't pick up a virus or something did you?" Ellie asked him in concern.

"No, Ellie. I am completely . . . healthy," he decided would be an appropriate word. "The rise in my body temperature was due to an emotional response to some distressing news."

"So, you got mad about something?" she astutely clarified.

"Yes. Very angry about something."

"Oh. Will helping these new guys wake up cheer you up?"

"Perhaps. Talking with you seems to be helping as well."

Ellie nodded thoughtfully and then turned to the medic with a cheerful grin. "So who's gonna kiss the sleeping beauties?"

"I beg your pardon?" Ratchet was dumbfounded at her totally random question.

Bumblebee snorted as he tried to cover his laugh and Optimus chuckled at the outrageousness of her question.

"She's referring to the fairy tale about sleeping beauty," Epps said from the entrance to the med bay. He had accompanied Hot Rod to the event.

The 'bots looked at him in confusion at the reference.

"Um, okay. You know, a fairy tale? A story told to kids to teach a lesson about life? In this case, the fairy tale is called 'Sleeping Beauty;' it's about a princess who is put under a spell to sleep forever, never to be woken up by anything except her true love's kiss," Epps tried to explain.

"Maybe I should see about getting you guys the movie," he muttered when they continued to look at him strangely.

"Anyway," Ellie tried to get the ball rolling again, "don't you want to wake those guys up?"

"Yes! Yes we do," Ratchet latched onto the directive.

"Optimus, why don't you give Ellie to Sunstreaker to hold?" he continued as he moved toward the stasis chambers. "We don't know what state these mechs will be in when they come to. You might be needed to help restrain them until they get their bearings."

Reluctantly, he complied and made sure to stand between the injured mech and the first chamber. It would be entirely possible they would see Sunstreaker as the traitor and try to attack him without seeing the human he now held.

"Hot Rod, give Epps to Sunstreaker as well. It would be easier to keep them both safe if they are in the same place," he ordered.

"What am I? A temporary hatchling carer?" Sunstreaker demanded.

"Is that the same thing as a babysitter?" Ellie wanted to know.

"Yep!" Sideswipe answered cheerily.

"For your information, I'm neither a hatchling, whatever that is, or a baby. So I don't need no stupid sitter!" she was livid.

"Then consider him our bodyguard," Epps suggested.

Ellie looked at the dark skinned male skeptically. She remembered Megatron telling her not to ever trust humans, but this guy seemed to be nice. Maybe she would give him a chance, she decided.

"That's acceptable," she muttered, still upset about all these grown-up types thinking she was a baby.

During the argument, Hot Rod, Optimus and Prowl set up a first line of defense in front of the pods, followed by Bumblebee and Sideswipe in front of the humans and Sunstreaker. Hound and Clyde set up off to either side of the lines just in case they were needed.

"Are you ready?" Ratchet asked as he approached the first chamber. When the assembled mechs nodded, he overrode the code and opened the chamber's lid.

The sound of air rushing into the previous vacuum made a loud hiss as the pressure equalized. A thick wave of a fog-like mist bellowed out before it evaporated into the air.

"Cold," Ellie exclaimed with a shiver as she cuddled closer to Sunstreaker's warmth.

Slowly, lights started coming on inside of the machine to illuminate the being inside. Thin streams of the cold fog continued to flow from nozzles at the head and foot of the machine before they slowly trickled to a stop.

Ratchet ran a medi-scan over him as his systems booted up and came online. Finally, his optics flickered and came on.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Brawn stood there for a few minutes as he scanned his surroundings. Somehow, he was no longer in the hold of the ship, but inside what appeared to be a cave of some kind.

"Where am I?" he asked dazedly when he recognized Optimus Prime, Ratchet and the others. There was one bot off to the left he had never seen before, but he dismissed him as a threat when he saw him standing at Prowl's back.

"You are safe," Optimus soothed as he relaxed his stance slightly. "Do you remember anything?"

"I just remember Slipspin shutting me into my pod and then waking up here. Why? What's happened?"

"We have reason to believe that Slipspin was a traitor. All of the stasis chambers were reconfigured to expend the energy of the occupants instead of replacing it. The Eight Track crashed. You are one of eight survivors," Optimus informed as he helped the wobbly mech to an empty berth.

"What do you mean Slipspin's a traitor? Who said that?"

"I did," Sunstreaker confessed. He sent the smaller mech a data burst of his memory files of their fight.

"That's impossible!" Brawn denied hotly. "Optimus said the pods were reconfigured, right?" At the nod of the surrounding mechs, he continued. "Then that automatically excludes Slipspin. He couldn't even load his own weapons right. I had to help him with it every time. Of any 'bot in the entire universe, he was the one least mechanically inclined I have ever met. I'd be more suspicious of Splints than Slipspin."

"When we get the others out, we will question them as well," Optimus decided. "Prowl, you will conduct an investigation to determine who the traitor was."

Prowl nodded and turned around to take his position in front of the next pod.

"So, where are we?" Brawn turned back to Sunstreaker. "And what are those?" he asked when he saw the biologics looking curiously at him as he looked curiously at them. He nodded at First Aid as the young medic tended to him and handed him an ingot of Energon.

"Some dirt-ball planet called 'Earth.' These are two members of the native sentient species called 'humans.'" Sunstreaker informed.

Brawn made note of the sounds coming from the smaller of the two as Sunstreaker uttered similar sounds in response.

"She wants me to introduce her," he said as he turned back to Brawn. "This is Ellie. She is a human youngling femme. This one," he said as he motioned to the dark skinned human in his other hand, "is called Epps. He is a human adult mech."

The femme, Ellie, made a facial expression of lifting her lip plates to bare the white structures beneath and waved at him. Then, she turned back to Sunstreaker and said something else to him.

"She suggested I send you a data burst of this planet's native languages so you don't need a translator. Will you trust me to do so?"

Guardedly, Brawn affirmed. The data burst contained no malicious programs that he could readily identify, so he downloaded the files.

"Hi! Can you understand me now?" the femme asked him.

"Yes. Thank you. Your designation is Ellie?"

"Yep," she nodded. "What's your name?"

Brawn scanned the files for the term, 'name' and answered with his own question. "Do you mean designation? If so, it is Brawn."

"Hi Brawn. When you're feeling better, do you want me to take you on a tour of the lair?"

"Lair?"

"It is what she calls this cave she has converted into her base," Sunstreaker supplied.

"Yes. I believe I would like that," he agreed.

"Hey Brawny! S'up?" asked the human mech.

"My designation is Brawn," he corrected. "Yours is Epps?"

"That'd be me.

"So how are you feeling?"

"Confused," he answered. This planet was going to take some getting used to.

**A/N:**_** Here's the Author's Offer: I've mentioned the character, Slipspin. I've said, basically, that he is mechanically dis-inclined. That's as far of a personality I'm going to be giving him. So, does anyone want to tell Slipspin's story? Any takers for a companion story with him? Just let me know so I can support your story. LGT**_


	38. Chapter Thirty Seven

Chapter Thirty-seven:

Skywarp was flying at a low orbit altitude as he scanned the coordinates of the proposed meeting. It was open land for some distance with little cover for a successful ambush . . . from either faction. He wasn't sure how Barricade would react, but he was pleased. Being both a seeker and a teleporter, he could beat a hasty retreat from just about anything that could threaten him. He debated whether or not he'd take the self-proclaimed Deceptacon leader with him if it was needed.

Still, it looked clear from this altitude, but there was a chance of subterranean threats. Curious, he scanned the area for signs of pockets beneath the surface. Anything that would signify caves, mines or holes large enough to hide a Cybertronian lying in wait. Satisfied that it was clear, he compiled and sent his scouting report to Barricade. He didn't bother to mention he would be there too.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

The sound of the alarms going off had the Autobots jumping to action to prepare for attack.

"Take your defensive positions!" Ironhide was shouting.

"What is that alarm? Are we under attack?" was coming from the patients in the med bay.

"Prowl, report!" Optimus ordered.

"Stop guys! Guys, stop! GUYS! It's alright!" Ellie finally was heard yelling.

"What is that alarm?" Optimus asked of her when none of his mechs had any answers for him.

"It was just a scan trap," she replied with a giggle.

"What is a 'scan trap'?"

Motioning for Sunstreaker to hand her over to Optimus, she directed him toward the blaring monitor sitting beside the anomaly perimeter monitor. She pushed a few buttons on the keyboard and a split screen picture popped up.

"See? Everyplace that we've scouted and found acceptable for meetings, we've placed these little boxes called 'scan traps'. They remain off unless a scan goes over them, hence the term 'scan trap.' It tells us when anyone has been poking around the area to try and set up an ambush, or look for potential places that an ambush can be set up."

She called up a few more screens and explained them to him. "This one shows us the general area the scan originated, which here indicates outside of the atmosphere. This one shows the types of scans that were used; it says a general photograph type scan, a ground penetrating scan and thermal and density imaging scans. This one tells us the energy level of the trap, which says it is almost full, so we can set it to record images and audio, monitor ground vibrations, thermal imaging and the like. Since we're going to be meeting with them tomorrow, you want me to set it to continuously record for twenty-four hours, or do you want me to just set it to image record if the seismic monitor goes off?"

Optimus was dumbfounded. He found his respect for his new charge rise even more; she was obviously going to protect them as much as they would protect her. "Yes, twenty-four hour continuous recording, if you please.

"Chromia, you will take the first monitoring shift, Hound will add this detail to his schedule rotation. You may add the Eight Track survivors as soon as Ratchet has cleared them," he ordered.

"Ellie, what other locations do you have these scan traps?"

Pulling up another screen, she showed him a map extending out over two hundred miles in every direction. "The little blue dots are the functional traps. They turn yellow when they are getting low on energy like the one in section echo six. The red dot is one that was destroyed about a week ago. We just haven't had the chance to go out to replace it, or change the battery of the low charged one yet."

"What are the green dots?"

"Those are potential sites for new ones to be set. We haven't used up all the ones we have already, so those ones were pretty low on the priority list. We'll have to scout the location to see how ideal it would be, and if it proves suitable, we'll plant a trap."

"What power source do you use?" asked Fireflight from the entrance to the work room.

"Due to both necessity and practicality, we use a simple nine volt battery so most scans would just assume it is a lost remote control toy."

"Battery?" she asked in confusion.

"Here, let me show you," she said as she tried to wiggle to be let down. When Optimus seemed to not notice, she huffed a sigh. "Livewire, will you go grab a nine volt battery and a scan trap for Fireflight please? I appear to not be getting down anytime soon," she said pointedly.

Optimus' optics seemed to twinkle in merriment and his lip plates twitched as he continued to ignore her.

"By the way, Optimus," she yelled to get the giant mech's attention. "Did you tell them about Boney?"

"No, I did not. Why?"

"Because I need to ask him to do something, and I don't want them to hurt him when he comes in here to do it."

"You have a point. I will send them a data burst about his status," he said as his optics dimmed briefly.

"That . . . that . . ." Brawn said as he dissolved into a bought of Cybertronian profanity, "is here! And you let him stay?"

"Of course. We are guests here. This is Ellie's lair. It is her decision."

"Boney! Can you come in here for a minute please?" Ellie called before the argument could gain any momentum.

He walked into the work room with confidence at her call.

"Alright then, this is your lair, I get that," Brawn told the girl before the Deceptacon could utter a syllable. "But you should know that that . . . that . . . 'Con killed quite a few friends of mine."

With a wisdom no child should have, she turned somber eyes to the small mech. "I bet. I also get that you guys have been at war for a long time and people die. So, how many of his friends have you killed at the same time he's killed yours?"

For a moment, no one said anything. It was a sobering thought that no one had ever really considered. Nobody, they realized, ever considered the costs from the other's point of view.

In mute rage, Brawn turned around and walked back into the med bay. He had been bested, and he knew it. But what had made him even angrier was the knowledge she was right.

"What did you need Ellie?" Bonecrusher asked with great respect. No one had ever defended him like that before. In that moment, he knew down deep in his spark that he would never turn on her. Not even for the Deceptacons.

"Yeah, I was wondering if you could figure out some way of making our monitors more Cybertronian friendly and still be accessible to people human sized?"

Cocking his head to the side, he seemed to consider the request and then nodded resolutely. "Prime? With your permission, I'd like to take a few monitors and access points from the Autobot ship.

"I won't need access to any of the databases short of the direct core relay between the monitors and points," he hastened to add.

"Prowl and Bumblebee will inspect the equipment before you have access to it. However, we will need to keep a few on the Eight Track for access purposes," Optimus decided, secretly pleased that the front liner was asking permission.

"It should only take us about three hours to inspect and remove the equipment he'll need," Prowl calculated.

"Yeah, I'll only need one to start with. But if you're going to want more, like for your own private quarters or offices or something, then it'll take up to a week to get them all configured," Bonecrusher informed.

"Very well then, Bumblebee, Prowl, get that equipment pulled and inspected. Bonecrusher, how long will it take you to get the monitors ready?"

"Probably about half a second to find out if it has power. If not, then it should take me up to an hour to get it to power up, then about twenty minutes to a half hour to connect it to the current monitors. I'm assuming that you're going to want it in the same place the current monitors are now?"

"If the only thing it will be connected to will be the monitors, then yes. It would be fine there." He didn't bother to point out that Ellie had been smart in the way she arranged the monitors so that the holographs had no line of sight to them.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Alright! Excitement is over. Back to the med bay," Ratchet was ordering his patients. "Sunstreaker! What are you doing up? You just had your spark reintegrated into your body. You should most definitely be resting."

Epps gave an apologetic shrug at the front liner as the gruff medic physically dragged the mech back to his berth. He turned back to the work room and watched in wonder at the interaction between Optimus and the girl. If he didn't know any better, he'd swear the boss 'bot was teasing the kid.

He watched as she wiped her nose on the back of her good hand and decided it was time to step in and teach the kid about being human.

"Yo! Ellie?" he called as he walked up to the Autobot leader.

The way she ducked back against Optimus' chest did not go unnoticed. He also saw the slight nod Prime gave her before she peeked over the hand at him.

"Yes Mr. Epps?"

"First of all, please call me Bobby or Epps. That 'mister' sh . . . ah, crap makes me feel old. Secondly, would you mind either coming down here or bringing me up there? This distance is going to give me a kink in my neck."

He watched her head disappear again, then heard her murmuring to the giant mech. Instead of answering her verbally, she was lowered to the floor. She scooted off the hand and stepped back to grab onto Optimus' foot.

"Yes sir?" she tried again as she partially hid behind the behemoth foot.

"Tell me, why are you so afraid of me?" he wanted to know first off.

She shrugged. "Well, if you know anything about my history, you'd know my experience with humans hasn't exactly been positive for as long as I can remember," she pointed out. "Besides, when Megatron got me out of the lab, he told me to never trust humans again. It's worked for me so far."

"How did Megatron get you out of the lab?" Optimus asked before he had the chance to.

"I didn't have any friends except my Elliebots, so I found Megatron. I would talk to him almost every night, and he eventually started talking back. He asked me to send a radio message saying where we were. I didn't know so I told them what I did know; his project name and Sector Seven was holding us. Then, over a week later, the lab was attacked and I was able to escape in the confusion. He said that was what I needed to watch for."

Epps was dumbfounded as he considered the implications of what she'd admitted to. He vaguely heard the sound of the Autobot's vents hissing in surprise as he watched the girl seem to twitch uncomfortably.

"Did I do something wrong?" she asked innocently.

"Not directly," Optimus soothed.

"Not directly?" Epps was flabbergasted. Didn't he understand what she HAD done? Because of her, hundreds of brave and innocent soldiers and civilians had died in Qatar. He was about to tell her that particular truth when the Prime caught his eye and shook his head slightly.

"I understand that what you were going through made you desperate to escape," the leader acknowledged, "but when you sent that information, Megatron's forces used aggressive means to find out his location."

"They did? Why would they need to do that? Isn't everything connected nowadays by computers?"

"Not this particular information," Epps told her.

"Did people get hurt when they found the information? Is that what you're not telling me?" she demanded.

"Yes, girlie. People got hurt," was all Epps could answer her with. Now that he thought about it, he realized that she really didn't know what would happen when she sent that message. After all, she was only what? Seven or eight when she escaped?

"I'm sorry! I didn't know they would hurt anyone. I just needed to get away," she said as she ran back toward the main caverns.

"Hey! Ellie," Epps said as he started after her.

"Wait Epps," Optimus stopped him as he offered him his hand. "I know where she is going."

"Where?"

"Bumblebee," was his simple answer.

"Now why in the world would she want to go to him?" he was genuinely curious.

"They have some sort of connection. We have noticed that when she gets upset about something, he is the first one she runs to."

"You lied!" they heard her yelling from the direction of the arena. "You never told me you were going to hurt people to get us out! How could you? How did they hurt you?"

"I never said no human would be hurt," Megatron's voice pointed out calmly. "I didn't lie. I merely promised you I would allow you to escape when I did. How that means was accomplished was not relevant."

"Not relevant? Don't you understand? I ran away from my uncle and that place because no one cared who got hurt as long as they got what they wanted. You didn't care who you hurt to get us out, which is what you wanted. That makes you just like him! I can't trust you if you're like him, and that breaks my heart. I can't trust you!" she screamed as she ran out of the arena.

From his height in Optimus' hand, Epps watched the scene play out beneath them. He felt his jaw slacken as he watched the mighty Deceptacon leader try to explain himself to the girl. His jaw outright dropped when he saw Megatron physically recoil when she rushed off screaming that she couldn't trust him.

"Oh my God," he breathed as he watched the hologram. When it finally winked out of the arena, he looked up to the 'bot that held him, "He cares about her?" He noticed the equal amazement and shock on the Autobot leader's face.

"It appears so," he said as he followed her out of the cavern.

They found her with her good arm wrapped around Bumblebee's neck as she sobbed uncontrollably into him.

"Did she tell you what happened?" Optimus asked the scout.

He shook his head. "Showed me," he said quietly.

"You can talk again?" Epps asked in amazement

He nodded.

"Well, how is she?" the human male asked in concern.

"Spark broken."

"Spark broken? Do you mean heartbroken?"

He nodded again. "Feel it," he answered preemptively as he tapped on his own chest.

"This is that connection thing you were telling me about?" Epps asked as he looked back up at the metal giant's face. "You really have got to explain that to me at some point."

Turning back around, he asked the 'bot who carried him, "Take me to her."

When he was able to lean against the back of the scout's shoulder, he pulled out a travel size package of tissues and pulled one out. "Hey Ellie."

He saw her cling tighter to the 'bot's neck in response to his approach.

"It's okay sweetheart," he soothed. "I'm not going to take you away from him, just thought you might like to breathe a little easier. And, I thought he might like to not have to worry about your snot getting all up in his gears."

He heard her suck in through her nose in response to his statement.

He had to chuckle at her action. "Easy sweetheart. Here, I have a tissue right here that you can blow all that nasty into. It'll let you breathe easier too." He waved the paper within her field of vision.

Cautiously, she pulled back enough that she could look at him fully.

"Here, I'll hold it around your nose, and you just blow into it, okay?" he asked. He figured that with her having just one good arm, it might be a little difficult for her to blow her nose on her own.

He was briefly pleased that she trusted him enough to blow into the tissue, until he felt it get heavy.

"Yeah, that's a whole lotta nasty in such a little nose," he teased as she smiled weakly then snuggled into Bumblebee's neck again.

"I can take her," Optimus volunteered.

"Thank you, sir, but she's fine," Bumblebee hastened to reassure.

"Will she not interfere with your assignment?"

"No, sir, Prowl is just pulling out the last piece. There's no danger in the inspection process to her."

"Are you certain?"

"Sir, she needs me," was his final answer.

"Very well.

"Epps, did you need anything else of Ellie?" he asked of the human in his hand.

"Nah, just let me give her a couple more tissues," he said as he pulled them out of the package and handed them to her.

"Then we will be leaving you to your work." He ran a finger down the girl's back before he turned to leave.

Epps could have sworn he heard the big guy's systems thrum a little louder when she reached back to touch it before snuggling back into Bumblebee's neck.

"You care about her too," Epps observed as they walked back toward the lair.

"Yes, I do."


	39. Chapter Thirty Eight

Chapter Thirty-eight:

"How in Primus' name can a flier be afraid of heights?" Ironhide demanded.

"Most likely, when he felt the ship begin to tumble into the atmosphere and had no control over it," First Aid theorized.

"Can he still fly?" Optimus asked of the young medic.

"Operationally, he's fine, so that answer is yes. Psychologically, it's up to him."

"Silverbolt," the leader addressed his seeker, "can you fly?"

"I believe I can, sir. I just don't think I'll be able to enjoy it anymore," he admitted.

"Very well then; the expanse on the other side of the lair has enough clearance for you, your unit and Powerglide to stretch your wings. First Aid will monitor your progress as will your fellows. Your assignment is to survey the expanse to find out exactly how large it is, as well as the layout of the dwellings."

"Dwellings, sir?"

"We stumbled upon historical records that suggest it is, in fact, a city. One that housed the survivors of our parent race, both organic and Cybertronian alike."

"How is that even possible?" Fireflight wanted to know.

"It was recently discovered that most Cybertronians possess DNA. The only way that is possible is if we have an organic origin," First Aid supplied.

"You mean we started out as fleshlings?" Slingshot demanded, outraged.

"Yes. Most likely a humanoid species much like the primary sentient inhabitants of this planet, if not exactly human," First Aid explained.

"I believe that we share, at the very least, a parent race to humans," Optimus offered.

"Sir?" First Aid asked.

"We believe the girl, Ellie, is a direct descendant of Uriel; the creator of Primus himself."

"What? How is that even possible?" Fireflight demanded.

"Livewire has been mapping the DNA of every spark that has come to the lair, including those who have not survived. Although each map is unique, they all contain at least one common, 'Cybertronian' marker, just as all humans have at least one common, 'human' marker. Ellie shares both markers as well as a physical mark on her protoform. The humans call it a 'birthmark.' It is in the form of the mark of Uriel," Optimus informed.

"So, our savior is the direct descendant of a god?" Brawn asked in amazement.

"Yes," was the semi's simple answer.

"Alright, sir, so are we to also check the viability of the dwellings for potential private quarters as well?" Skydive redirected the conversation.

"Grapple is doing that as we speak. However, you are free to inspect the dwellings as well to determine if you would like any of them for your own," Optimus allowed.

"What about our alts?" Powerglide wanted to know.

"I will be making the arrangements to get them for you. However, you are not to leave the lair for the next half planet rotation; there is a magnetic anomaly surrounding this place that may injure you. We have yet to figure out a way to maneuver through it without several sharp turns, including a one hundred, sixty degree turn. As maneuverable as you may be, it is doubtful you would be able to navigate it."

"Follow the blue path," Bumblebee interrupted from the entrance to the med bay. He had just come from dropping Ellie off with Ratchet in the surgical bay.

"What does that mean?" Powerglide asked in confusion.

"Ellie's implants. She remembered a dream. Follow the blue path," he tried to relay. He was trying to minimize the amount he used his still healing vocal processor.

"You want us to trust the dream of an organic youngling?" Slingshot was incredulous.

"It is possible her creators and fore creator may have told her that at some point. Often, humans can remember important details about things they once heard through dreams. Unlike us, humans have the ability to suppress certain aspects of their lives that can return to their awareness by allowing their subconscious to bring it up via various methods, including dreams," First Aid supplied.

"The point is still valid; what does the phrase mean?" Optimus queried.

"Set sensors to view electromagnetic fields," Bumblebee suggested.

Optimus stood for a few minutes in contemplation of the suggestion. "That makes sense," he finally allowed.

"I will try it along the path we know is safe. If it works, perhaps we can find other routes to and from the lair," the leader started as he turned to leave.

"Sir! Let me," Bumblebee stopped him.

"You should stay here for Ellie. I won't be gone long. Besides, General Lennox needs to be informed that we will need six aircraft alternates for Autobots that are arriving."

"My idea," the scout was adamant.

"You said it yourself Bumblebee; Ellie needs you. I will return shortly."

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Ratchet watched in amazement as the child deftly and knowledgeably removed her leg components from her hips and unplugged two different cable couples per leg. She was sitting on the berth in undergarments to allow him easy access to the connections points of her limbs and torso.

"So, why did you need to see them off?" the child asked self-consciously.

"I needed to take more exact measurements," he answered distractedly as he connected himself to the leg's main cable. "I also wanted to see where the programming succeeded and failed. That is impossible to do when you are wearing them unless you have a proper medical port. And you don't."

"Probably 'cause my uncle never expected Cybertronian medics to even exist," she shrugged.

The medic frowned as he added notes to the girl's file in his processor. "Hmm, the programming is rudimentary," he muttered as he tapped on areas of the leg. "Grr, there's no feedback from the leg to external stimuli. Now that won't do.

"Maybe it's in the auxiliary line," he theorized as he connected himself to that cable as well. He sent commands down the line and was able to increase the range of motion of the foot and ankle.

"Slagging, Pit spawned, aft fragging, glitched, bolts for brains!" he exclaimed a little louder than he probably should have with a child in the room.

"What's wrong?" she asked in concern.

"Whoever wrote the programming for this limb and designed it truly had no idea of what was necessary for proper limb function," he answered. "The range of motion of the foot and ankle is limited by thirty point three, seven percent, which is fine as long as you aren't going to be walking on varying terrain. It also has no sensors whatsoever to supply feedback from external stimuli, which is necessary to allow the footpad to adapt for stability."

"I'm kinda glad there's no feeling in my legs, given what my uncle did to them," she replied innocently.

"Mmph! I don't blame you for that, but we won't be allowing that to happen to you again.

"Now, let me see the motherboard and CPU," he said as he removed several screws holding the halves of the leg together.

"What the Pit is this?" he asked in shock at what he found. Sitting in the middle of both the thigh and calf of the leg were twin globs of what appeared to be plastic garbage bags.

"Oh, that. Yeah, that was me," she answered sheepishly.

He turned around to stare at her and put a fist on his hip, waiting for her to continue.

"Well . . . they kinda, sorta kept shorting out every time they got wet, so I dried them out, and then tried to waterproof them."

His vocal processors hummed in agitation as he folded his arms over his chest plates and continued to stare at her. The way he cocked his eyebrow plate gave the impression of "Oh? Do continue."

She sighed and lowered her eyes to the floor. "I wrapped them in garbage bags and sealed them with silicone and duct tape so they wouldn't get wet anymore. But in my defense, it was the only thing that worked! When I tried to cover them with silicone, it kept melting, so I had to give up that idea, and I couldn't find a gasket that would work either."

"When did you do . . . this?" he asked as he nodded at the mess.

"Four years, two months, one week and two days ago," she answered promptly.

He sighed through his vents as he relaxed his pose. That meant she was self-repairing, or attempting to, at around nine Earth years of age. He shook his head and turned back toward the limb, begrudgingly impressed by her ingenuity at such a young age.

"Well, I am taking this mess out and will provide a patch to keep it waterproofed until I can manufacture new limbs. It even appears to have some sort of fungal vegetation growing on it as well.

"So when did it start to short?" he asked to get more information. If he could find out about any hidden design flaws, he would know what to eliminate in her new limbs.

"When me and the guys went out to place some of the scan traps, I got spotted by a policeman. Since it was during school hours, he thought I was skipping, so he tried to chase me. When I was running back to the guys, I jumped into a gully that was deeper than I thought and heard something hiss in my legs when I landed. Couple days later, it started to short out," she answered.

"Hmm, so it would appear this design does not allow for excessive pressure placed on the gaskets. Combine that with the fact there was only one level of environmental protection for the computer relays and you have a recipe for eventual failure," he muttered as he turned back to his work. "Slagging aft ports," he added for good measure.

"For all the younger you were," he addressed her as he continued to remove the plastic, adhesive tape and silicone from the limb, "this was an ingenious solution. Just don't do it anymore, alright?"

"Alright. That's what I got you for now, right?" she asked hopefully.

He glanced back at her and noticed the way she chewed on her bottom lip nervously. Turning back to his work, he didn't quite know how to process the sudden shifting in his spark. It occurred to him then that the child was forming emotional attachments to them, and didn't want any of them to leave. "Yes, Ellie. That's why you have me," he answered with a gruff chuckle.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Protect the girl at all costs. The girl is the key, her safety is paramount. Dr. Carlisle is the girl's enemy . . ."

Fig jerked awake as the words seemed to echo in his ears. He felt like he'd been dreaming, but looking at his watch revealed it had only been an hour since he'd collapsed on the cot in exhaustion.

"You alright?" JJ asked from the bunk beside him.

"Ci. Just a weird dream."

"Want to talk about it?"

"Nothing to really talk about, just swear I heard Dr. Elgin saying something about protecting the girl and Dr. Carlisle was her enemy."

Fig heard the sound of JJ moving on his bunk just before the light came on and nearly blinded him. He swore in Spanish as he threw his arm over his eyes. The other occupants hastily agreed.

"What the hell is that for?" Fig wanted to know.

"Shh!" he admonished as he looked around the room. Seeing the quick blinking of his optic told them he was scanning for something.

Focusing on the air vent, he walked over and pulled the cover off to inspect it. "Aha! Found it," he said as he pulled out a small black item about the size of a button.

"Found what?" Nemes asked sleepily.

"It appears to be some sort of wireless speaker," he answered.

"What? Where'd that come from?" Fig wanted to know.

"Yeah, they scanned all the quarters after Dr. Elgin's little side experiment was discovered. That shouldn't be here," Flaherty agreed, surprisingly wide awake.

"Let's look for more," Fig decided as he got up and began to inspect the rest of their quarters. By the time they had finished, there were over a dozen more of the little speakers sitting on the floor.

"So, what do we do with them?" Paul Strothers asked in confusion.

"I say we destroy them and then report it to security," Tommy Tu voted.

"Why don't we destroy them and keep it to ourselves?" Dale Rand decided.

"Obviously," he continued, "someone else is continuing Dr. Elgin's experiments. Until we know who, or why, maybe it would be a good idea to not let them know we're onto them."

"I agree, especially since we're not exactly sure which side is which," JJ agreed. At the nods of the assembled group, he picked up the speakers and took them into the bathroom where he proceeded to flush them.

"Now," he said as he washed his hands, "let's get some real sleep."

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Maestro watched with interest as the male members of the Deadeyes found the button speakers and disposed of them. He was pleased to hear them continue to doubt the authority of their superiors, so he decided to allow them an hour of unseeded sleep. He set the timer to restart the subliminal in one hour. That was plenty of time for them to enter REM sleep, and make the message more readily received.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Dr. Alistair Carlisle felt his arms lift and his hands flex as he sat within the machine. He moved his fingers and brought up a heads up display showing a systems diagnostic. The blinking red message in front of him made him frown as he powered down the machine and opened the hatch.

"Cespedes!" he yelled as he stepped onto the ladder. "There's a hydraulic leak in the main line. Fix it tonight so I can test it again tomorrow at oh-six hundred." He leaned heavily on the railing of the ladder as he climbed down and grabbed onto his cane.

"Yes, sir," the tech said cheerily. "I take it you got an error message?"

"Yes. Hydraulic pressure at zero in the lower lines.

The tech shook his head in displeasure. "Hmm, told Dixie to change the filters in the line. So either she forgot that one, or else she didn't tighten the line back up enough when she did. Either way, we'll figure it out and it will be done before your six a.m. test session."

"See to it. The Phoenix is to be completely operational before we have that demonstration for the military next month, and I want to personally make certain we work all the bugs out before then," Dr. Carlisle ordered as he leaned heavily on his cane and limped to the door.

"It will be done!" the tech agreed happily to his retreating back. "You ungrateful prick," he added as soon as the door closed. If it wasn't for all the cool technology he got to play with on a daily basis, he so would have been out of there.

Briefly, he wondered if it was true; that the doc actually got his tech from the alien robots that kept popping up in the news. "Man, if they actually did share, I totally would love to work for them," he muttered.

"Work for who?" Dixie asked as she came out of the women's restroom.

"Those alien robots.

"Nice of you to finally make an appearance," he said on a raised voice as the previously empty lab was suddenly busy with people.

"Man! If you can get a job with them, take me with you," she begged.

"Yeah, right. Did you replace the lower filter in the hydraulic line like I asked?" he asked as he turned back to the topic of the moment.

"Yeah. I just didn't get to take the clamp off it before Dr. Personality made his appearance."

"Well, let's get it fixed so we can go home.

"Test tomorrow at six a.m. people!" he shouted at his underlings as they swarmed to their respective duties.


	40. Chapter Thirty Nine

**A/N:**_ I want to apologize for this chapter. It totally didn't end up where it was supposed to. Just consider it filler. Think it was my way of calming things down before the first storm that I have planned. Anyway, please review. Tracy 5/20/12_

Chapter Thirty-nine:

"Bumblebee? Why are you out here?" Optimus asked his scout when he returned.

"Snow," he said, gesturing to the white covered ground. He then turned back toward the cable loop he held in his hand and pulled something across the anomaly.

The leader transformed and looked along the line to see what he was dragging. Coming slowly toward them was a vehicle frame on wheels weighed down with steel and rocks with Clyde on the other end of the cable.

Curious, he took a couple steps back and tried to extrapolate exactly what they were doing; his scout had pointed out the snow, so he directed his attention to that and realized the frame was actually a dummy that covered his freshly made tracks with its own.

Smart, the girl was undoubtedly intelligent. She had arranged, with the help of her 'bots no doubt, to have the dummy vehicle crisscross over the snow to obliterate the actual path to the lair. It would make it virtually impossible for anyone following or scanning from space to see the actual path without running a soil density scan.

"She is a very clever child, wouldn't you say?" the giant mused aloud.

"Genius!" the scout proudly exclaimed in agreement.

"You are not short on the processing power either."

Bumblebee glanced at his leader in question before he turned back to his task.

"The electromagnetic spectrum scan used when I navigated the path to the lair did show up as blue. There were other pockets of blue throughout the anomaly, but most of the time it was like dead ends in a maze. I am hopeful that some of the green and aqua strengths of the anomaly will weaken to blue at higher altitudes so the aerials can fly through.

"I am going to allow Powerglide and Air Raid to try and find a viable aerial route. General Lennox arranged a low level flight path for them over the local Air Reserve Bases in three hours so they can find acceptable alts. They will need to be able to get out of there before then."

Bumblebee chirped in response as Optimus turned back to the beginning of the path and transformed.

When he first entered the lair, the only source of illumination was the electric lights powered by the generators.

"Hot Rod, what is the status on my trailer?"

"Got everything fixed that I could. Ironhide was able to replace a few of the weapons in here from the Eight Track's armory that I couldn't. Overall, I'd say you've only lost a total of three percent of your platform.

"Before you ask, your jet pack was repaired."

"Very good.

"Are the fliers recharging or are they flying through the expanse?"

"As far as I know, they already are back, but Powerglide, Air Raid and Slingshot are still foolin' around. The rest are all in front of the T.V. trying to get a feel for the planet.

"Oh yeah, they also were able to find an alt for Brawn."

Optimus turned around and cocked an optic brow plate at him.

"It's a silver two thousand three GMC Sonoma."

"Where did he find that?"

"Apparently, the girl took it from her grandmother's garage when she escaped from her uncle. Jukes drove it to help bring some things out here so they only had to make one trip.

"They've been keeping it, along with some other things, in that little side cave over there," he said as he nodded towards his left. "They call it the garage. Ratchet and First Aid both have already gone over it and salvaged what they could for medical use."

Optimus nodded as he walked over to look inside the small side cave. He noticed that he might have been able to fit inside in his alt form if he folded his mirrors back and scraped both sides, which he had no intention of doing. As it was, he had to stoop over and lean in sideways to look inside. Turning on his light, he scanned the chamber and dismissed it as containing standard garage material, including a supply of automotive fluids, spare parts and tools, which looked to have been picked over. Ratchet and First Aid had definitely been there already.

He backed out and waved to Hot Rod as he continued on to the expanse. The soldiers gathered around the large screen television ignored his passage, interested, instead, in something called 'Antiques Roadshow.'

It wasn't hard to find the three missing fliers, he merely followed the sound of high powered jets. He sent out the com to them to let Powerglide and Air Raid know their orders. He was not surprised when Slingshot landed in front of him with an audial splitting roar. Optimus chose to disregard the obvious show of insubordination.

"Why are you letting them out and not me?" he demanded.

"Their current alts are designed for tighter maneuverability and quicker stops than yours," he answered truthfully. "The only way you would be able to match them would be in your bipedal form, and we do not want this place to gain too much attention from the local population."

"What does it matter what the locals think? They're pathetic organics, we're far superior than they could ever hope to be."

"And yet, these 'pathetic organics' out number Autobots by over seven billion . . . and all Cybertronians by nearly the same margin.

"No. This is their planet and we will respect their right to rule it as they see fit."

"You mean to tell me," he demanded, outraged, "that we're considering them our governing influence? That we have to actually listen to what they tell us to do? Are you out of your processors, Prime? Do you actually know what they're doing to themselves?"

"Unfortunately, I do."

"So what are you planning on doing? Playing their game until they offline themselves into extinction? Or order us off their planet so they can do so without interference?"

"Hopefully, it will not come down to that. If it does, then we will save as many of them as we can. As far as ordering us off their planet, they already have done so at the urging of Sentinel Prime."

"Like that worked. We're still here."

"Yes. We are. We also have been afforded a greater degree of freedom of movement after our act of subterfuge because we did so in their defense."

"Oh, so we aren't supposed to go against them unless it's to save them from their own stupidity?"

"ENOUGH!" Silverbolt interrupted from the entrance to the expanse. "Sir, I wish to apologize for the words and actions of my mech. It won't happen again," he directed at the brash flier.

"He is still new to the society he has awakened to. Questions are expected and encouraged," Optimus tolerantly informed.

"Of course, he can ask questions about the new society we find ourselves in, but he still has no right to question you or your decisions, sir," Silverbolt firmly stated.

The Autobot leader nodded sagely.

"So, how did Powerglide and Air Raid get out without going through the lair?" he changed the subject as the troublemaking flier flew off with a loud roar of his thrusters.

"We discovered that the stalactites are also dwellings sir, and there are openings to the surface through each one, as well as several large openings centrally located," the seeker explained as he projected a hologram of the Aerial City.

"Interesting.

"So, have you or your 'bots decided on quarters?"

"Yes, sir. My 'bots have decided to claim one of the multi-unit aerial dwellings close to the main entrance. Grapple has already inspected it and found it sound, and I have chosen the ground level dwelling directly beneath it. Powerglide chose an aerial dwelling close to my unit's and Brawn has chosen to remain close to the lair. I believe he and the twins have neighboring units at the bottom of the ramp."

"Ratchet has allowed Sunstreaker to leave the med bay?"

"No sir. More like Sideswipe has claimed it on both of their behalf."

Optimus chuckled in response.

"The human femme, Ellie, ate dinner and helped Bonecrusher set up the monitor station before she went to recharge for the evening.

"Speaking of her, Ratchet wishes to brief you on some new discovery he's made since you left. He's in his med bay."

"Thank you Silverbolt. Please inform me if you have any additional issues arising," he said as he turned to leave.

"Yes, sir," the seeker said as he turned back to the television area. He found this planet so fascinating in a disturbing kind of way . . .

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Ratchet was shifting his desk back and forth to try and put it in the best position for the space. Finally satisfied that it was properly oriented, he sat down on a convenient rock outcropping and began to pull necessary equipment out of one of the crates stacked just inside of the entrance.

He had chosen an unused chamber at the back of his self-claimed med bay to act as his office. A recharge berth was situated against the back wall to the left of his desk in an almost perfectly sized niche.

The sound of metallic footsteps through the med bay alerted him to the impending visitor. Hastily, he hid the sensitive information he had gathered about his human patient until he knew who it was.

"Ratchet?" Optimus called as he stopped in the center of the med bay.

"In here," the gruff medic called back as he sent a com to Livewire to join them.

"Making yourself at home, I see," the leader stated as he stopped just inside of the entrance.

"I figured it would be wise to have an office set up for occurrences like Sunstreaker and any other medical emergency that might come up.

"So, where were you all this time?" he asked his young leader curiously. He didn't want the mech to know how worried he truly was about him. He knew better than most exactly how much of a strain leadership was on a 'bot's spark.

"I was scouting the areas Ellie had earmarked for new meeting sites. It allowed me to communicate with General Lennox about Powerglide and the Aerielbots as well as check in with the other bases."

"Not to mention sulk a little bit?" the medic suggested knowledgably.

"About what?"

"Humph! You care about that young femme and you don't know why you're jealous of Bumblebee's relationship with her."

The large mech cocked an optic ridge at his medic. "What is your diagnosis then?"

"Do you notice the way she looks to you whenever Robert Epps addresses her?"

When he just cocked his head, Ratchet continued, "That is the actions of a progeny towards their creator.

"Now, I'm not saying that she thinks of you exactly as a creator," he hastened to add, "but rather, that she recognizes that you are in a role of guardianship over her.

"I also would say that she views Bumblebee more as an equal, like a friend or brother. Either way, she cares for you both, in different ways."

"Optimus," Livewire greeted as he entered the office. "Ratchet is correct. But I would hasten to add that she has more respect for your role in her life as a guardian and protector than she does my own, or even Jukes, and he is her guardian and has been with her much longer than I have."

"What makes you think that?" he was curious.

"Simple, she asks for your opinion and tries very hard not to directly disobey you. She has absolutely no problem disobeying either of us, and the only time she asks for our opinions is when she knows we have more knowledge in the subject than she does."

The Autobot leader looked thoughtful for a moment. "I will consider what you have said," he mused aloud.

"Was this what you wished to brief me about?" he directed to Ratchet.

"No, actually, it isn't. What I needed to brief you about was another discovery about her status."

"What have you found?"

"She was attempting to self-repair her implants since at least eight years old; at around nine Earth years of age, she blew out the computer relay waterproofing gaskets inside her implants and repaired them herself . . . by wrapping them in plastic garbage bags and sealing them with the adhesive patching material called 'duct tape' and silicone. There was even some sort of fungal vegetation growing inside of the wrinkles of the plastic."

"She had mold growing inside of her implants?" Livewire was flabbergasted.

"Yes. She stated the gaskets blew when she jumped into a gully to evade a police officer."

"Hah! She called it a gully? Try more like a fifty two foot deep valley!" the spindly medic corrected.

"What? Why that would put seven thousand, seven hundred fifty point nine, six, seven joules of pressure on her implants. No wonder the gaskets failed!"

"Indeed," Livewire replied drolly.

"So, what is the status of her new implants?" Optimus redirected.

"Humph!" he responded to his colleague's tone.

"The optic, audial and shoulder joint are ready. I also will replace the access port behind her ear to allow for better medical access, but neither First Aid nor I have any universal ports available. It will take us a few days to build one. We have a general blueprint for her limbs, but it will take us a few more hours to write the proper programming for them and build the prototypes. Then, perhaps a day or two to test them and work any bugs out."

"What about the intracranial processing components?"

"Most of them will have to be donated by someone willing to calibrate them after implantation. Some of the components that control her autonomic processes can come from multiple donors without causing problems for the donors."

"What problems will arise for the donor for the rest?"

"Depending on which ones I'll have to replace, it will be temporary glitches; language confusion, random file recalls, emotional confusion and sensory confusion. Just until the donor's systems can compensate, which will be anywhere from a few seconds to days."

"Have you received any volunteers for donors?"

"Yes, Optimus; Bumblebee, Sideswipe and Bonecrusher have all volunteered as well as all of her Elliebots. Even Ironhide, Jazz and the triplets have volunteered if they have their bodies back by then."

"Have you ruled any of them out?"

"We've ruled out Livewire, because we can't afford to do without his expertise in human physiology if something were to happen. We've also ruled out the spidrobots because they simply would not survive given their size."

"I've also been able to create a viable skin replacement for her scars and her limbs," Livewire added when Ratchet paused. "Although, I won't be fitting it to her until her optic and audial have been replaced."

"Yes, it would be illogical to subject her to more surgeries than are absolutely necessary and undo what was previously done to replace her implants," Optimus mused aloud.

"You also may add me to the list of volunteers," he continued, addressing Ratchet. "Now, is there anything else?"

"Just that Sunstreaker will be released for light duty tomorrow," the chief medical officer answered, not in the least surprised by his leader's decision.

He nodded in acknowledgment of his front liner's upgraded status. "Then, I will be in my quarters if you need me," he finished as he turned and walked back into the med bay.

"You knew he'd volunteer," Livewire accused.

"He's just that kind of mech," was the certain response.


	41. Chapter Forty

**A/N:**_ Here's the latest shorter chapter. AND, hope you enjoy the first real glimpse of an up-til-now, shadowy figure. Let me know what you like and what you don't. Tracy_

Chapter Forty:

The heads up display glowed eerily on his face as Dr. Carlisle brought the machine back to its slip. He ran another diagnostic to determine if any damage was caused by the paces he'd put it through and frowned at the fuel read-out. It had consumed far too much for the little that he did with it.

"Cespedes!" he bellowed as he popped the hatch and climbed out of the machine. "According to the read-outs, the Phoenix consumed over twelve gallons of fuel. That is unacceptable given what little I did with it."

"Well, sir, that'd be kinda hard to do since we only put five in it," the tech replied pleasantly.

"What? Why did you only put five gallons in it?"

"Safety concerns. We don't want to have a whole lotta bang going off in a controlled environment with other experiments in the potential blast radius," he replied logically.

"Very well," the doctor said through gritted teeth. "Tomorrow, we will have a field test at fourteen-thirty. Unfortunately, I have to fly to a meeting this afternoon or I would have it arranged for today.

"See to it," he snapped dismissively as he grabbed up his cane and limped out of the room.

"Is it just me," Dixie started as the door slammed shut after their employer, "or does it seem like he limps worse when he's tired?"

"Probably. I try not to notice," the lead tech replied distractedly.

"Alright people! It looks like we get an early day today. As soon as we've done all the clean-up from today's test, we'll just have to inventory the weapons we'll be using tomorrow and that'll be it.

"Who's turn is it to buy the first round at the tavern?"

"Yours!" was the chorus of his subordinates.

"Why is it always my turn?" he mumbled dejectedly.

"Cause you're the boss," was Dixie's cheerful reply.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"What does that mean?" Amn Austin asked Jolt as he ran a scan over her and projected it onto a holographic screen.

"It is telling us if your cybernetic signature matches anyone on file, and if so, who," he answered distractedly.

"So, does it match anyone?"

"Yes. It matches Megatron."

"Who's that?"

Jolt sighed through his vents. He was starting to like this human, and didn't think she would like what he had to tell her. "Megatron is the leader of the Deceptacons. He was known as NBE one to your scientists when they were experimenting on him. According to Ratchet, his components were directly harvested from him for implantation into humans."

"So, what affect will that have on my psychological health?"

"It is unlikely it will have any affect other than what you have already experienced. But that does depend on which components were harvested and where they were implanted in the human subjects."

"Can he hack into our brains and discover all of our secrets?"

"Can you consciously communicate with your implants?" he asked, half joking. There was no way it was possible to cross communicate between biological matter and Cybertronian technology.

"Yes. I can," she answered seriously.

"Are you certain?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes."

He turned back quickly to the display and began to rapidly input the new data. This was not good, not good at all.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"We're all ready," Ellie reported to Optimus. "Sideswipe took the spidrobots to the site two hours ago to act as lookouts. Starscream has been turned off since last night, so it will be impossible for him to triangulate the position of the lair, and both Barricade and Skywarp have confirmed they will be there."

"Very good Ellie. Hound, how many troops does Barricade have access to?" Optimus turned to his unit leader.

"Current reports put the numbers to between twenty and thirty-five mechs close enough to him that he'd bring along. In actuality though, it could be more or less."

Optimus nodded thoughtfully. Although, Barricade might bring a good deal of backup with him as a way of showing off his superiority, the mech was bright enough that he might want to keep a good deal of his mechs in reserve to not tip his hand about his true numbers. "Alright then, Bumblebee, Livewire, Ratchet and Bonecrusher will accompany me and Ellie to the meeting. The rest of you that are assigned to this detail will standby at the fallback positions; Hound's unit and Powerglide will stay at the north position, Prowl's unit, Air Raid and Silverbolt will take up the east position, Brawn, Soto and Fireflight will meet up with Sideswipe at the south position and Jukes' unit, Skydive and Slingshot will wait at the west position. Are there any questions about your assignments?"

When no one said anything, the Autobot leader turned toward the entrance. "Ellie, you will ride with Bumblebee, Livewire, with Ratchet."

"Can I ride with you?" Ellie interrupted.

He looked at his young charge and saw the hope in her face. "Would you not feel more comfortable with Bumblebee?"

She looked back to his scout and saw him nod to her before making a 'shooing' motion with his hand.

"Why can't I feel comfortable with both of you? Besides, he doesn't mind and it might make you take better care of yourself if something bad happens if you have to protect me too."

He chuckled at her logic and felt his spark shift in affection. Nodding, he changed his orders. "Alright. You may ride with me," he said as he transformed. He opened his passenger door and felt Bumblebee lift her to it.

"Autobots! Roll out," he ordered when she was secure and the rest of the assembled team transformed.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"So are we gonna have any of the Air Command providing backup?" Lugnut asked innocently.

"Primus no!" Barricade answered vehemently. "I don't want any of those blasted Seekers anywhere near me if I can help it. Especially not for something as trivial as a meeting with a human and her Autobot pets. No, you and the assigned team will be more than sufficient to keep any trouble in check.

"Especially with all the trouble the girl will be causing when I trigger her assassin protocols," he muttered to himself as he turned from his underling.

"Deceptacons! To this meeting," the acting Deceptacon leader ordered his mechs as they transformed.

"That was corny," Swindle muttered to Lugnut as he transformed. He peeled out just as the larger mech took a swipe at him.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Do you have any idea what this means?" Fig asked the room in general as the images played over the computer monitor.

"Why didn't you show us this before?" JJ demanded of Two-ten. "It proves everything Longhorne said about Carlisle."

"I didn't want to believe it," she admitted. "I was hoping it was all photoshopped or altered in some way. I just couldn't make the doctor who saved my sight mesh with the mad scientist who experimented on his own crippled niece to make it happen."

"But it did!" Flaherty said vehemently as he walked out of the bathroom wiping his mouth. "The man is a perverted bastard to do that to a kid. For crying out loud! She was still a baby when he got his hooks into her."

"We have to do something," Angela LaValle stated in anguish as she shuttered at the images still flashing across the screen.

"Perhaps I may be of assistance," a voice with a pronounced Scottish brogue said from the computer.

"Who . . . who said that?" Two-ten demanded.

In answer the computer's form seemed to shift around and break apart as it took on a decidedly humanoid shape. "I did. You may call me Maestro."

"You . . . your one of those aliens!" John Nichols accused as he fell over backwards to get away.

"No. I was created on this planet, in this country, so I am no alien in either sense."

"How did you get in here?" JJ demanded.

"I was brought here from Sector Seven's laboratory by Dr. Carlisle when he simply could not bear to lose all the so called research he did on Ellie."

"Who's Ellie?" Mike Burkes was curious.

"Dr. Carlisle's niece."

"You said you could help us do something about what that creep did," Fig redirected.

"Yes. Dr. Carlisle is housing the bodies of several off lined Cybertronians, as you well know. Ellie has the essences of most of those bodies with her and is developing a strategy with the Autobots to restore them to functionality. In order to do that, she will need to have access to them and the base. I can arrange for the lab that is housing them to be evacuated, but I will need assistance to subdue the rest of the base so no one will get hurt when she, and her allies, arrive."

"How does that make Carlisle pay?" Angela continued.

"Well," Maestro explained, "it removes whatever leverage he has against the government so that he can be tried without prejudice. If he doesn't have access to his research materials, then he cannot bribe his way out of justice with his discoveries. Also, the evidence of his crimes has already been submitted to the proper authorities. The only thing we are waiting for is the official investigation to conclude."

"Hold up. You said Carlisle brought you here from Sector Seven, but you're my personal computer that I bought in person and set up myself," JJ interrupted.

"That is also correct," the small 'bot agreed good naturedly. "I am what is considered an assimilating form. My main consciousness is, in fact, the base mainframe. However, I have the ability to assimilate any other piece of equipment connected to me, either physically or through the system."

"So, if we destroy this form . . ." Tommy Tu trailed off.

"Then you will have destroyed a perfectly innocent computer."

"If you can assimilate equipment, can you un-assimilate it?" Flaherty asked in confusion.

"Yes."

"So, when this is all over, I can have my computer back?" JJ asked suspiciously.

"I give you my word.

"Now, the scientists are on track to have the bodies all reassembled in eight days. Ellie and her allies will set their approach for around that time. So, we must come up with a plan to minimize the number of people between her and the bodies before that."

"So that's what you need us for? To keep the gunfire to a minimum?" Fig asked.

Maestro nodded.

"Wait a second, isn't this being recorded by the security office?" Dale Rand suddenly remembered.

The computer chuckled. "No. The security system is also connected to me, so therefore, they are only seeing what I am showing them."

"What are you showing them?" Fig asked.

"If you will remember, two weeks ago, you watched a movie on this computer. That is what they are seeing."

"Alright," Two-ten agreed reluctantly. "So, what's the plan?"


	42. Chapter Forty One

**A/N:**_ So, we're up to the gate of the first major hurtle for Ellie and her new Autobot friends. (That's why it's such a long chapter!) As promised, I'm dedicating this chapter and the next to my most loyal reviewer, Angel897. Hope you enjoy. Please review and let me know what I did right or wrong. Tracy_

Chapter Forty-one:

Bumblebee and Bonecrusher were the first of the Autobot contingent to arrive at the designated coordinates; a former strip mine that nature had long ago reclaimed. Barricade, Lugnut and Swindle were already there.

"So what is this all about? Did you bring a new recruit with you Bonecrusher?" Barricade greeted with a snicker.

"Yeah 'Cade," Lugnut chimed in. "He'd make all sorts of funny noises when we question him about the Autobots. Too bad he can't talk to answer any of 'em."

"Enough!" Bonecrusher roared, temporarily silencing the gathered 'Cons. "I haven't brought you a new recruit 'Cade. Truth is, I've decided to abandon the Deceptacons. I'm an Elliebot now."

"What the Pit is an Elliebot?" Swindle asked in confusion.

"Consider him a neutral," Bumblebee answered, further surprising the assembled group.

"Since when do you talk?" Lugnut asked in confusion.

The sound of powerful jet engines interrupted the conversation as Skywarp transformed and landed beside Barricade.

"Did I miss anything?" he asked innocently as he pointedly ignored Barricade's glare.

"What are you doing here?" the front liner hissed in Deceptacon.

"I was invited," he answered in the human language of English. "You might as well skip the Deceptacon language 'Cade, you know Bonecrusher already knows it, and the little one is a spy, so he probably knows it too."

"So why are we here? I got a message to meet the human femme youngling here," Barricade turned to the Autobot and deserter, pointedly ignoring the Seeker.

"Yes. Optimus is bringing her. Bumblebee and I came here a couple minutes ahead to make sure they wouldn't be caught in any trap you guys would try."

"Why would I bother?" Skywarp asked in disinterest. "Megatron and Starscream are both dead. Besides, I'm rather curious as to how a human would know how to contact me."

"You can ask her yourself," Bumblebee stated as the distinctive sound of a semi could be heard approaching.

When the blue and red Peterbilt stopped, they watched as the medic picked the human passenger up and pulled her protectively toward his chest. Once she was clear, the sound of metal shifting echoed from the surrounding hills as the Autobot leader transformed and stood before them.

"Since you might not be aware of Ellie's needs," Bonecrusher addressed Skywarp, "we will be erecting a dampening field around ourselves to protect her from radio frequencies."

"What, in Primus name, for?"

"She was the victim of an experiment that gave her several cybernetic components," Ratchet supplied, "including an audial implant. Certain radio frequencies trigger unhealthy reactions in her."

The flier nodded in intrigue as he turned his attention to the young human in the yellow hand and his gaze, inextricably, was drawn toward the odd machine she held in her right arm. Something about that box called to him, but he couldn't quite put a digit on it.

"Hi Barricade!" she called brightly as a smile split her face. "How are you? Did those repairs work until your own medic could fix 'em?"

"Yes, girl," the interim Deceptacon leader answered her in exasperation. He didn't allow himself to acknowledge the pang of remorse in his spark at his plan to use her. "I am fully functional."

"So, who're your friends?" she asked politely.

"That's not important," he dismissed. "Now why are we here?"

"I bet it's important to them," she pointed out. "Are you Skywarp?" she directed at the flier, ignoring Barricade for the moment.

"Yes, I am the lead Seeker of the Command Trine, designation Skywarp. I must reluctantly agree with Barricade; why are we here?"

"To suggest a temporary truce; we wish to plan a cooperative mission that is in the best interests of Autobot and Deceptacons alike," Optimus addressed them.

For a moment, the assembled Deceptacons just looked at him as if he had lost his processors.

"What?" was their collective response.

"Well we do come with a demonstration of good faith," Ellie added when they continued to look at each other in confusion. She pushed the button on the machine she had set on the ground at her feet.

For a few moments, lights flickered out of the top before a holographic image of Starscream solidified.

"What sort of twisted trick is this?" Skywarp demanded. How dare she try to toy with his spark like this?

"It is no trick 'Warp," the image addressed him. "Allow her to explain why she called this meeting," he continued to order.

"Alright, so the short version is this is actually Starscream. Or, more appropriately, his essence matrix, and he's been with me ever since his body was incapacitated."

"How? Where you anywhere near Chicago when he off lined?" Barricade demanded. This was some information he did not know. He really didn't like not knowing important stuff like this.

"No. It's not really important how I got him, except that I did, and was able to save him."

"Who are you to decide what is important to me?" the black and white mech demanded.

"The human girl that saved your life once, and will save your life again if you're ever 'off lined' again on Earth," she snapped.

"Just know that if anything fatal happens to any of you while on this Earth," she addressed the rest of the mechs, "I'll do my best to save you so you can eventually be restored to your bodies."

"Restored to their bodies? If that is possible then why is he in this state?" Skywarp demanded, outraged. He gently scooped up his leader's little machine and cradled it lovingly to his chest plates.

"That is why we are meeting," Optimus answered for her. "In order for their sparks to be restored, they have to have functional bodies to be reintegrated with. She does not have their bodies to restore them."

"So, you're asking us to help you find and retrieve Starscream's body?" Barricade asked incredulous. That was the very last thing he would ever do. He liked being the Deceptacon leader too much.

"What do you mean by 'their bodies'?" Lugnut asked in confusion. He knew he wasn't the mech with the quickest processor, but he didn't think he was that bad about confusing plural with single tense.

"Starscream is not the only mech to come into her care after Chicago," Ratchet revealed. "She also has been caring for Shockwave, Soundwave, Sentinel Prime, even Megatron and others."

"How? How is this possible?" Barricade asked in awe.

"It is true," Starscream confirmed from his position in his trine mate's hand. "They are asking us to help them retrieve the bodies of all of us."

"Here's the security footage I was able to gain that shows whose bodies are there," Ellie said as she approached Bumblebee and retrieved the laptop he had taken for her.

"As you can see, all of the bodies are in various states of disrepair. The only one missing is Megatron," she narrated as the footage played on the holographic imager. "So, the current plan is to let the guys who have been tearing them apart, put 'em back together again. Then, we go in and finish the process by re-integrating their essence matrices and finding out where Megatron's body is."

"That still doesn't explain how you were able to retrieve their sparks without being there to harvest them," Barricade was adamant.

She looked up to Optimus for direction. "She has developed a technology that is able to rescue sparks when their bodies are experiencing terminal damage. That is the only information we will share about it at this time. Perhaps, when this war is over, we will," he answered for her.

"I don't like the idea of humans attempting to repair the damage to our bodies," Starscream announced. "What we need is to develop a strategy to make sure they haven't made any potentially fatal mistakes."

Ellie nodded her agreement. "Yeah, that's what I was thinking, which is why I have an idea; I have a few 'bot friends that can help make sure any mistakes are corrected before we even get there. But, we're also going to need your help. You guys have like mini doctor 'bots right?"

"Yes. They are called scalpels. They are used primarily for minor repair work," Barricade conceded.

"So, what if my spidrobots and your scalpels can be snuck in in a couple days to make any other necessary repairs that the humans messed up on? That way, when we send in the medics to actually do the restorations, they won't have that much extra to do."

"This is an awful quick timeframe, isn't it?" Skywarp worried.

"I'm afraid it has to be," she sighed in resignation.

"The human responsible for this is her uncle," Optimus informed, "who also is responsible for the experiments conducted on her when she was just a hatchling.

"There is an ally to Ellie inside of the compound. He is the one responsible for manipulating the humans under her uncle's command to repair our fallen comrades. There is a limited window for him to operate without detection."

"So, how fast are we talking here?" Swindle was curious. If he could find out who this guy is and where he was, there might just be a profit to be made from ratting out these guys.

She looked to Optimus again. There was something about that guy that made her uneasy. He nodded slightly. "Ten days," she answered.

"Of course you can count us in, Prime, girl," Starscream was quick to agree.

"You don't speak for anyone but yourself until you have a body," Barricade was quick to snap.

"Oh? And would you care to bow out?" Starscream challenged.

"Depends on what the plan is, and what's in it for us. Unlike some would-be leaders, I don't go committing to a course of action when I don't have all the facts."

"Well, the plan is that in three days, you bring your scalpels and we'll bring my spidrobots," Ellie outlined, "to a predetermined meeting point that Starscream already knows. From there, my insider will send you the coordinates for the initial drop. Then, a week later, we infiltrate the compound to deploy the medics, of both factions, to restore the essences to their bodies.

"What's in it for you, personally," she continued to address Barricade, "is that you will get a number of your Deceptacons back and you will free yourself from your debt to me. I know that it really grinds your gears that you owe a human, so I'm offering you a chance to even up the slate."

"Very well. The ground forces are in," he decided. "I'm assuming, though, that you're not going to be agreeable to us taking out any of the fleshlings that populate this compound. So how do we get past them?"

"That's easy; all of his security forces that would face you are cyborgs, like me. As my uncle already found out, all of our cybernetic implants temporarily short out at certain EM frequencies. Ratchet will give them to you."

"How temporarily?" Lugnut was curious.

"Three hours on the low end," she answered honestly.

"Alright, we will com' in two days to arrange the scalpels," Barricade decided, "and set arrangements in place to meet to finalize our assault."

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot, Soundwave suggested Reedman be deployed with the scalpels and spidrobots to provide some protection for them," the girl added.

"I'll think about it," was the black and white's response.

"Okay, I guess," she murmured in response.

"Skywarp," she addressed the Seeker, "since the holo-preserver doesn't have any tactile sensors, we've had to allow for an adaptation for Starscream. This remote controlled plane was wired with sensors so he could feel the wind and fly it around. Here's the controller," she explained as she handed them over. "This part here goes in this plug in the back. It has a range of up to half a mile, so don't let him over fly himself. Here's also enough batteries that he could fly it around non-stop from now until he's back in his body. Just make sure you don't puncture them when you change them out. I'm sure your medic or someone else with smaller hands will be able to change them for you when they die.

"So, do you have any questions about his care for now?"

"No, youngling, I do not," he said just before he grabbed her gently.

The sound of weapons transforming into standby echoed from the hills as both sides took exception to his unthinking action.

Ignoring the turmoil, he nuzzled her in gratitude. "Thank you for returning my trine mate to us," he murmured quietly just before he released her. "We are forever in your debt."

"Uh, you're welcome," she answered in surprise.

"Is that all?" Barricade demanded, still not lowering his weapon.

"I believe it would be wise to adjourn. We will text you with the com frequency in two days, fifteen hundred local," Optimus confirmed as he cautiously lowered his weapon, but kept it charged. "Skywarp, we will contact you the same way we initially did at the same time."

"I'll be waiting," the flier confirmed as he warped away with a bang of displaced air.

"Ow!" Ellie exclaimed at the noise as she rubbed her implant with her good hand.

Seeing his chance, Barricade sent the command to her implant while the Autobot contingent was distracted. Soon, she would be a dead little assassin.

Both factions slowly began to back away from the other cautiously, neither side totally trusting that the other wouldn't try to shoot them in the back.

Eventually, they were out of direct line of site, so they turned around and transformed on their way back to their respective bases.

Optimus kept a sensor on his ward as they headed back toward the lair. She was still rubbing her ear after the displacement crack from Skywarp's ability.

"Ratchet, Livewire," he comm'd them when she wouldn't stop fidgeting. "Ellie is rubbing her audial implant excessively. Could the noise from Skywarp's teleportation still be affecting her?"

"Not likely, unless the noise was able to jar one of the crystals out of its setting," Ratchet counseled. "Still, keep a standard vital scan running over her and feed it directly to us."

"Optimus, I have a headache," she admitted with a whimper.

"She is complaining of a headache," he continued his communication with the medics.

"Alright Ellie. I'm here and am communicating with Ratchet and Livewire. Can you describe your headache?" he soothed his passenger.

"Hurts," she said just before she fell limp.

"Ellie?" Optimus asked in alarm just as Bumblebee raced in front of him and slammed on his brakes, forcing him to stop.

It seemed as if everything happened at the same time; the vital scan he had been running began to scream at him about her dangerously high blood pressure, she began to throw herself back into his seat and flail wildly as she was gripped in a seizure, she lost her sunglasses and he could see her optic flashing crazily as her eye rolled back into her head and the human's bright red vital lubricant began to pour steadily out of her olfactory organ, oral port and audials. Bumblebee transformed and ran back toward his passenger side door and was going to rip it open if Optimus hadn't opened it in time.

"Ratchet! Livewire! There is something severely wrong," he cried out in alarm.

Quickly, the scout pulled the girl out of his leader's cab and held her close to his chest. "What do I do?" he cried desperately as both medics came running.

"Turn her over! She's vomiting and it must leave her system," Livewire ordered as the Peterbilt transformed and stared on helplessly.

"Powerglide, get to my coordinates now!" Optimus ordered without preamble. "Silverbolt, inform First Aid that Ellie had a medical emergency and will be coming in with Powerglide." He closed the link without awaiting their acknowledgments.

"I have sent for Powerglide to take her to the lair," their leader informed.

"Good, good," Ratchet replied distractedly.

"Slaggit!" the chief medical officer exclaimed as he read a scan result. "How the Pit did this happen? The implants are experiencing a cascade failure."

"The trigger!" Bumblebee exclaimed as he reconnected with her implants. "It's been activated somehow."

"That would cause it." Ratchet confirmed.

"Damn! She's aspirated some into her lungs. There's nothing I can do until she's stopped seizing. Do you have any Keppra or Dilantin?" Livewire asked of his colleague.

"Yes, in my jump box," he said as he transformed. Quickly, Livewire jumped into the back of his form and jumped back out with the medication.

"Clear," the spindly little mech called and the chief medic transformed back.

"Alright, I've administered it. It shouldn't be too long before it works. Keep her on her side so she can keep a clear airway," he continued to the yellow scout.

"What's happening?" Optimus demanded.

"It seems that somehow, someone tried to trigger her suicide assassin protocols. Because they were removed, her implants began to experience a cascade failure when they couldn't find a valid program path," Ratchet informed. "The result is that the failure is causing damage to the organic tissue surrounding the implants, which caused her to seize and leak her vital lubricants from her audials and olfactory organ."

"She bit her tongue when she started seizing," Livewire added as he continued to monitor his only patient. "That's why she was bleeding from the mouth. She began to vomit, or purge, as you would call it, because of the seizure. Unfortunately, she's aspirated some of it into her lungs. We are going to have to flush it out before it causes any more complications."

The sound of Powerglide's engines was a welcome relief a few moments later.

"What's up?" he asked as he landed near his leader.

"Take Ellie back to the lair as quickly as you can. Her life is in the balance," Optimus ordered.

Alarmed by the utter fear he heard in his leader's vocals, he transformed into his alt and didn't say anything when Bumblebee lowered both the unconscious girl and her spindly medi-tech into his cockpit.

"Hurry!" the scout begged in desperation.

Powerglide took off with a roar.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"What the hell where you thinking?" Tom Banichek asked when Dr. Carlisle got into his sedan. "A baby? You put the stuff from that thing into a helpless little girl? Do you have any scruples at all?"

"She was practically brain dead when I got custody, it wasn't like I was hurting her. I just couldn't see losing such a valuable opportunity for some much needed test results."

"Dammit Al! I vouched for you. I ignored the complaints from your department that you were participating in unethical practices. I even buried more than one report exposing those practices because you told me Angel was a brain dead soldier. Do you have any idea of the damage you've done to both of our careers?"

"The Maimed Angel project has evolved and I will not let you, or anyone else, shove all the breakthroughs made out the window because subject zero was an undesirable candidate. Because of what we learned, I am making the blind, see, the deaf, hear, the lame, walk and the weak, stronger. Now the subject is closed.

"What is the status of the meeting with the Pentagon for the Phoenix project?"

"Just like that? You say the subject is closed like that's the end of it? You are out of your mind Al. Certifiably insane and I will not be a part of it anymore.

"There is no meeting with the Pentagon; the technology gained from Angel lead directly to the development of Phoenix, therefore, I will no longer support the continued victimization of that little girl. You're on your own, now get the Hell out of my car."

Dr. Carlisle stared at his former friend and supervisor in disbelieving anger. "You would be wise to reconsider your position," he threatened.

"Or what? Hate to tell you this, but the only ace you had to play was found floating in the Potomac a few days ago. Now. Get. Out."

Gritting his teeth in anger and pain, the doctor maneuvered his way out of the car and was about to slam the door closed when he heard the squeal of tires as it raced off down the road.

So, Banichek was very angry. Oh well, he thought as he composed himself. I'll just go back to my experiments and make more breakthroughs in American soldier advancement. He limped through the air terminal on his way to the private runway, ignoring the hustle around him.

"Excuse me Dr. Carlisle?" the pilot was finally able to gain his attention as they walked back toward their plane.

"Yes LeMay?" he responded through gritted teeth.

"Today was supposed to be my payday, and I didn't receive my direct deposit. Is there some sort of delay for some reason?"

"Damn! Alicia," he muttered as he stopped to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Yes, LeMay, I'm afraid there is. The individual who was in charge of authorizing pay is no longer with the company. Allow the rest of the week to work it out with the new pay manager."

"Um, alright . . . but I really need my deposit by Friday."

"I'm sure it will be," he reassured as they continued onto the plane.

Once they were airborne, he pulled out his laptop and logged on to his company's checking account. He shook his head when he saw there was several million dollars showing as a balance, so he took out his phone and called his accountant.

"Everest, what is going on with the payroll? I was just informed by one of my employees that he didn't get his direct deposit."

"Yeah, nobody got paid today. Every time I try to get the bank to talk about the issue, they refer me to their legal department. I don't know what's going on."

"Hmm, I see I've gotten several emails from my attorney. Perhaps he knows what the problem is."

"I'd suggest you call him soon, as in, now."

"Thank you Everest," he dismissed as he hung up and then dialed his attorney's number.

"Hoover, what's going on? My employees are informing me they aren't getting paid and my accountant is unable to get the bank to tell him what the problem is."

"It's about time you got in touch with me! I've been trying to reach you for almost a week. Now, I'd like to set up a meeting for you with Meredith Hayes and Alex Levinson; they are the best criminal and family attorneys in my firm."

"Why do I need a criminal and family attorney?"

"Don't you watch the news? Alistair, you're being investigated for child abuse, unlawful restraint, willful negligence, torture, depraved indifference and a slew of other charges. They've frozen all of your assets, flagged your passport and have temporarily suspended your guardianship of your niece until the investigation is concluded."

"What? They can't do that! Who is accusing me of these crimes?"

"The United States Attorney General."

"Damn that little brat to Hell! She must have stolen those missing files," he cursed as he recalled the several thumb drives that had turned up lost when NBE one had escaped.

"Are you telling me that you actually tortured your niece while holding her in a guarded facility?" Hoover asked incredulously.

"No. I consented to experimental medical procedures done in a medical environment."

"How experimental?"

"She was the first one they were done on," he admitted, shamelessly.

"As long as you can provide proof that there was plenty of non-human testing done first, it shouldn't be too big of an issue to overcome."

"Yes, yes, that's fine, but I have another issue that needs dealt with," Dr. Carlisle redirected.

"What is it?"

"My employees did not get paid today. I need to make arrangements to get that rectified."

"Sorry, but unless you have a partner that is willing to pay them out of his own personal accounts, they are going to have to be without for however long.

"Your personal assets are frozen as well as any assets that you have access to, including your company."

"Break the girl's trust to pay them and then when this investigation is over, it will be returned," he ordered.

"Did you miss the part where I informed you you're no longer your niece's guardian? That means you don't have access to her assets either."

"Yes, I heard you," he sighed in aggravation.

"So, unless you have either a lot of cash on you, or you have a foreign bank account, there is no money."

"Very well," he said as he gritted his teeth. "I'll handle it." He hung up the phone before his attorney could say anything else. Turning back to his laptop, he logged on to the First International Bank of the Grand Cayman Islands and authorized the payments.

Taking care of the first distraction, he turned the laptop to his notes on the Phoenix project. He never noticed that he had failed to disconnect with his lab's main server. Maestro smiled with smug delight inside his own processors.


	43. Chapter Forty Two

**A/N: **_So, it's starting to get technological/(a little bit)medical for the next two chapters. All medical mumbo jumbo is from various sites online. And as a special treat, there's also a special appearance this chapter. As always, let me know what I did right or wrong. Tracy_

Chapter Forty-two:

When Epps came running into the med bay, First Aid knew that something really bad had happened.

"What is it? What's wrong Robert Epps?" he asked as he turned from Sunstreaker's exam.

"Something happened with Ellie. The text from Optimus said he's sending her and Livewire in with Powerglide and Silverbolt will brief you more. Something about a medical emergency concerning a seizure."

"Very well," he answered as he quickly shut down the exam. "Sunstreaker, you appear to be healthy enough to leave the med bay, but I'm begging you, please, do not do anything strenuous. We can't be worrying about both you and Ellie, and she is far worse than you are."

"What's wrong with the femmelet?" he asked in concern.

"If she is having a seizure, it means she may be experiencing some sort of brain damage. It would be the equivalent of a Cybertronian's central processor experiencing a cascade failure," he clarified as he quickly gathered up the tools he may need.

"I'll behave," Sunstreaker promised resolutely. There was absolutely no way he'd do anything to take focus off the girl. Not after she had saved him.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

The sound of heavy metal footfalls literally running past the arena is what drew Megatron's concern. The only reason the medic would be running toward the expanse side of the lair would be if there was a medical emergency of some kind. So, either the meeting did not go as expected, which was entirely possible with Barricade and Skywarp both in attendance, or his little one was in distress. The somber expressions of Mike and the human led him to believe the latter.

"Human! Come here," he ordered as the male stood by the entrance to the workroom, looking deeply worried.

The fact he did not even offer a token response, but mutely walked over at his order further confirmed his dread.

"What has happened to the girl?"

"They don't know," he answered in confusion. "Something about a medical emergency and a seizure. Powerglide is bringing her and Livewire in. That's all the text said."

The sound of multiple aircraft engines echoing from the expanse had the human rushing off toward them. "Silverbolt is supposed to give us an update!" Epps yelled over his shoulder as he started running.

"Oh great and holy Primus. Benevolent protector and just creator, hear me," Megatron started to pray aloud. "Protect the organic child who has given your children aid and comfort. Grant her the strength to survive her trials and her healers the knowledge to aid in her return to full functionality."

"All praise Primus," Soundwave, surprisingly, was quick to agree.

"All praise Primus," most of the others agreed. Even if they didn't, necessarily, like the human, they all did realize that if she fell, they would all be at the mercy of the Autobots. Thanks to their own propaganda, many believed that to be a fate worse than death.

Please, Primus, save my daughter, Megatron thought to himself.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

As First Aid ran toward the surgical bay, he sent the com to the spidrobots, "Ellie's having a seizure. Prepare for surgery; we're going to have to replace her implants now."

He heard the concern in their clicking responses. "But, we don't have the universal access port done! What are we going to use? Can we salvage the one she already has?"

"No, we can't salvage it; it was created and implanted in pieces so that as she grows, it spreads apart. Prepare all of the ports we do have, when Ratchet gets here, then he can decide which one to use.

"Make sure you prepare an alcohol bath at least twelve inches by eight inches by two inches deep. We will need all that space to prepare the implants we will have to replace."

"Who's going to donate?" Spiral asked.

"It depends on which access port is used.

"Elita-one, Chromia, Arcee and Jazz; prepare to man the sterilizing agents."

"Alright, Mike will monitor the entrance. I'll monitor the perimeter consoles," Sunstreaker announced over the collective com. "Grapple, you're going to have to cover the defenses."

The various acknowledgments came over the channel at Sunstreaker's unwavering command. It wasn't until things had settled down that anyone realized how strange it was for the front liner to step up into a command position, without being asked.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Wow dad! Who do we know with a fire engine red Ferrari?" Annabelle Lennox asked with wide eyed wonder as the sleek sports car roared into their driveway and stopped.

"That's Dino. He was Ironhide's friend," he said distractedly as he handed his youngest baby girl to Sarah on his way out of the house.

Annabelle immediately grew somber; Ironhide had been her best friend, and anytime her dad referred to a car as "Ironhide's friend," it was code that it was an Autobot. Even though they weren't exactly a secret, they still preferred to keep the humans they associated with as confidential as they could for their own sake. Especially after all of the attempts on that Sam guy's life when it came out he was their friend.

With surprising dexterity, she shimmied out of her bedroom window and into the tree. From there, it was easy to cross over to the garage and hide out on its peek to overhear her dad's conversation with this Dino 'bot.

"What's wrong Dino? Why couldn't you call?" her dad asked.

"It is in regard to the girl. Ratchet has asked to speak to you directly. Allow me to channel, ci?" the Ferrari offered in a thick Italian accent before Ratchet's British accented voice was heard.

"General Lennox? You asked to be kept apprised of the girl's condition. I asked Dino to act as intermediary to keep this information as private as possible."

"What's wrong?" her dad asked with concern. They both knew that tone of voice when it came from Ratchet.

"I'm afraid she's had a severe setback. She suffered a seizure and is in critical condition."

"Any idea what caused the seizure?"

"Yes. We discovered a suicide assassin battle protocol programmed into her implants when she asked us to remove files her uncle had stored on them. We were able to remove the protocol, but were unable to determine the trigger. Somehow, the trigger was activated and the implants began to fail, causing injury to the surrounding brain matter."

Annabelle gasped before she could stifle it. Someone had put stuff in a person's brain? That was gross.

"Will she survive?"

"Unknown. The only hope she will have is if we can remove the damaged implants before they cause any more injury to the surrounding tissue."

"Do you need anything else while I still have the authority to get it for you? Agosto's been canned, so it's only a matter of time before her orders and authorizations are given the boot too."

"No. We made certain to get everything we could possibly need for every conceivable scenario before we left D.C."

"Keep me updated on her status. I'll let Sarah know she's taken a turn, but not the details. We'll pray for her."

Ratchet gave a curt "Humpf," before he terminated the connection.

"You are aware of our audience, no?" Dino asked quietly.

"What? Where?" Annabelle's dad asked in surprise.

The six year old took that as her cue to beat a hasty retreat. She stood up to turn around and slipped on the moss that was growing on the shingles. As she began to fall, she couldn't stop the scream from coming out of her throat. The sense of falling was quickly interrupted when she felt a warm metal surface under her back.

"Our spy, General Lennox," Dino announced as he showed the frightened girl to her father. "Shall I return her to base for questioning?"

Annabelle started to cry at that idea and missed the playful glint in the Autobot's optics.

"Maybe later. After she's served her grounding sentence," he threatened hotly. Hearing and seeing his daughter fall off the roof of the garage had frightened him more than he let on.

"Then I will turn her over to your custody, General," the mech agreed readily as he handed her off.

"Thanks. I'll take care of her, you be sure to keep me updated on the girl, personally."

Dino nodded in acknowledgment before he transformed and roared off.

Annabelle looked up at her father through her tears. She was so gonna get it . . . unless . . . "Daddy? Was that how you did it?"

"How I did what?" he asked as he marched her into the house by the arm.

"How you broke your arm. But, you were five, right?"

"You are still going to get it young lady," he threatened with a lot less steam.

Annabelle sniffled to hide the smile that was trying to surface.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Ratchet terminated the connection with Dino, and therefore, General Lennox about a half mile from the anomaly. Normally, he would have allowed Optimus to make the call, if for no other reason than to give the mech something to occupy his processors, but he realized the general would ask questions only he, Red Alert or Livewire would have been able to answer. This way, it was much easier, and far more efficient.

"Optimus," Ratchet sent the com to the leader before they crossed the anomaly, "I went ahead and contacted General Lennox about Ellie."

"Yes, thank you Ratchet," the leader said in a distracted, strained voice.

"Can you save her?" his prime continued quietly.

"I'm going to try my hardest, even if I have to send myself to the well to fish her soul out," the medic said. Deep in his spark, he didn't doubt the truth of his promise. The young femme had grown on him.

They disconnected their com as Prowl, then Ratchet hit the anomaly and were forced into radio silence.

As soon as the hummer was through the hologram, he was transforming on the run.

"First Aid, report!" he ordered as he passed the arena.

The younger medic instantly sent a data burst of the current situation with the girl; percent degradation of cybernetic components – ninety-three point eight, eight, two. Percent degradation of intracranial organic material – six point zero seven. Percent degradation of other organic material – zero point nine, nine, four.

Ratchet felt his spark sink as the report continued to scroll across his processors. He just hoped that he could replace all the brain damage with cybernetic implants. If only these blasted humans had the technology to actually map their brains, he'd have a lot better idea of what he was getting into.

He turned the corner and entered into the surgical bay. He stopped the required ninety seconds to allow the sterilizing agent to work before he stepped through the first curtain. He stopped again for this measure's two full minutes and spread all of the seams on his armor to allow the agent to cover anything that could come into contact with the girl. Finally, he stepped into the surgical bay and shoved his hands into an alcohol hand bath and deployed all of his instruments. There was no way he was going to let anything come off of him to potentially harm that little girl.

"Where are we?" he snapped as he approached the surgical berth the patient was resting on.

"She's under general anesthetic and First Aid has removed most of her intracranial implants," Livewire supplied as he kept his optics on the child's vitals. "I was able to irrigate the aspiration from her lungs, but we still need to keep a close watch on it for the next forty eight hours.

"The spidrobots are removing her limbs and preparing her shoulder for the incision."

"Alright. What is the status on the universal access port?"

"It's still incomplete. We have what we finished and the access ports we do have over there under the drying lamps," First Aid informed.

"Slaggit! I think we're only going to be able to save about four of these current implants, and they don't include the ones controlling her autonomous functions," the young medic swore in a flood of Cybertronian.

"Have you removed them yet?" the ancient medic asked.

"No. I was waiting as long as I could so you could be here. I didn't want to get into a situation where Livewire was the only unimpeded medic."

"What's that mean?" the spindly 'bot asked, still keeping his optics on Ellie's vitals.

"The only way we can replace Ellie's implants is if they are donated by a Cybertronian. First Aid and I both realized we would not have the time to request certain tech from an outside source if the implants controlling her autonomous functions proved to be unsalvageable. Apparently, they are not."

"So, which of you will donate?" Livewire asked as he caught on.

"Both of us, to various degrees," First Aid informed as he pulled out another implant and set it aside into an alcohol bath.

"It's salvageable, but was implanted incorrectly," he explained.

"Okay, that's the last of the implants I can remove without impeding her basic functions," the younger mech announced.

"Mm-hmm," Ratchet agreed thoughtfully as he looked over his colleague's shoulder. "You will use access port A-G seven, nine, seven, B to replace her direct cranial access port. Use component C-N four, seven, three, three, eight, seven, zero to replace component human south point six. Component C-N eight, three, six, six, zero will replace human south, south west one point one. Components C-N seven, two, seven and nine, nine, six, three, zero, zero, one to replace human north four."

"Nine, nine, six, three, zero, zero, one? Are you sure about that Ratch'?"

"Yes. By the time you have them prepared and all but the last positioned, I will be able to assist in the insertion process into human north four."

"Alright. If you say so.

"Spiral? You have the alcohol bath ready?" First Aid asked the small spidrobot.

The little 'bot warbled in affirmation.

"Lie down and I'll start harvesting. Then, after you harvest from me, we can neural connect when I've recovered and we'll get through this a lot faster."

"That's the idea," Ratchet confirmed as he lay down on the other berth that had been brought in.

"Neural connect?" Livewire was curious.

"Medics have the ability to directly connect their neural network during complex surgeries so that they can act as a seamless machine and get it done far more quickly and efficiently. It would be like being aware of what you're doing, but also know what your colleague did and how it affects what you're doing," First Aid informed as he moved over to the elder medic's berth.

"I bet it saves time checking each other's work to make sure everyone did what they were supposed to," the small medic observed.

"Yes. Among other things," the young medic agreed as he pulled out the parts his senior had indicated were to be harvested and dropped them into the alcohol.

"So, what's so special about that one component? C-N - nine, nine, six, three, zero, zero, one."

"A 'C-N' designation means it is from the central neural network. When it ends in the number 'one,' it is a primary component. That particular component controls his memory relays from his processors to his central function.

"So, for all intents and purposes, he's not going to remember how to function for about four minutes until his system can find an alternate route."

"Oh. So that was what he meant about being able to help when it was time to implant it."

"Yes."

"So, how many new implants does she need?"

"She had twenty-three original intracranial implants, we can save four, but she will need at least seven additional implants on top of the original twenty-three."

"Can you remove any of them?"

"No. Because of her age when she was originally altered, she has become dependent on them. I'm sure we could remove some of them, but they could have disastrous effects on her personality and general functionality. She would, for all intents and purposes, not be the same Ellie she was before the seizure. As it stands now, she may not be exactly the same coming out of here as when she went to that meeting."

"It looks like Ratchet is recovering."

"Yes, his systems are beginning to compensate for the loss of the prime component. He still is another two minutes, fifteen or so seconds from full compensation. He will probably give himself another fifteen or so seconds to run a full diagnostic before he even begins to process the idea of helping. It could prove fatal if he is still impeded in any way."

"So, why do you need to add new implants?" Livewire asked to change the subject.

"To replace the function of the damaged biological matter. Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing exactly what was lost on it. These humans do not have sufficient technology to properly map their brains or record backups of their memories."

"What about Bumblebee? He seems to have some sort of a connection with her; maybe he can remotely connect with her implants and try to rebuild some of the information?"

"That is actually a good idea," Ratchet said as he gingerly stood up and closed his chest plates.

"How are you feeling?" Livewire asked in concern.

"You are right to ask. The missing component will be completely bypassed in another ten seconds. Still, I'm going to make sure I have access to all of my memory files and have no impact on my motor function or coordination before I even think to touch her."

"Get ready, I'm removing the implants that control her lung and heart function," First Aid warned the smaller mech.

As he quickly removed the small, charred piece of technology, the machine monitoring her vitals began to beep crazily.

"Time without heartbeat count commencing," Livewire started to call out. "Five seconds."


	44. Chapter Forty Three

Chapter Forty-three:

"She's dying!" Jazz exclaimed as he trundled out of the surgical bay. "I just heard 'em. They're counting down the seconds 'til she dies! We're going to lose Ellie."

"What? Primus, no!" Optimus exclaimed as he listened to the distraught 'bot keen in grief.

"No! No, no, no,no ,no," Bumblebee continued to repeat as he allowed himself to fall to his knees.

"Wait!" Epps ordered. He wasn't about to give up on the girl. There just had to be more to this that the former saboteur didn't understand. "First of all, don't go planning her funeral just yet. If she survived this long on her own and under the detection of her uncle and the military, then she's tougher than you'd think. Now, what, _exactly_ did you hear them say?"

"I heard Livewire say, 'Time of oxygen deprivation, fifty-six seconds. Time 'til brain damage, four minutes, four seconds.'"

"Okay. That's good."

"Good? How can it be good if she's going to have brain damage in less than four minutes now?" Bumblebee wailed.

"Technically speaking, she already had brain damage anyway when her uncle put those implants into her head. Besides, Jazz here didn't say anything about them saying they were losing her, so they probably knew this either would, or could happen. I'd say just chill out until we know for sure.

"And if you guys don't want to believe me, ask Bee here."

"Me? How would I know?"

"You and Optimus both admit you have some sort of connection with her. Boss 'bot here explained a little bit about it to me, so why don't you, I don't know, connect with her or something and tell us if she's still on the other end?"

The scout cocked his head as he assessed the human with newfound respect. And here he was supposed to be the one with the super advanced processors, so why didn't he think of it first?

Turning inward, he found his connection to the girl and gently nudged at it. Sluggishly, she responded and then stilled. He kept the connection open and turned his optics back to the assembled group.

"She's still there. Rather sluggish, but not weakening," he said with an audible sigh of relief.

"Medic!" Megatron diverted their attention toward the entrance to the expanse. "What is the status of the human femme?" he ordered.

"Ratchet? In this case, I agree with Megatron," Optimus addressed his chief medical officer. "What is her condition?"

"You," Ratchet started with Jazz. "Back to the decontamination measures, and make sure you're thoroughly sterilized.

"As to the rest of you, Ellie's cascade failures severely damaged the implants that were controlling her autonomous functions; her heart and lungs. We were able to replace them before she suffered any more brain trauma due to lack of oxygen. She is currently breathing on her own and her heart is strongly beating. Livewire and First Aid are currently replacing her audial, optic and direct cerebral access port. Unlike ours, which is at the base of our cranium, hers will be positioned behind her left audial, which we were able to form as a proper human ear. As a result, we were limited in the port we could replace it with; a universal auxiliary port or one that conformed to her ear. We don't have any more universal ports, so we were forced to use port model A-G seven, nine, seven B. As most of you realize, that means the potential donors for the remainder of the implants she will need has been greatly reduced."

"What's that mean in English?" Epps asked when the medic paused.

"It means that the only two models of 'bots that can donate their components to Ellie are spymasters and data miners," he answered gruffly.

"Unfortunately, we need to have whoever is going to donate to her here within the next twenty minutes," Ratchet continued.

"Why twenty minutes?" Bumblebee wanted to know, already getting over his disappointment at not being able to donate. He was running through the potential donors in his processors and cross-referencing them to who could be there inside of the time restraint, and the list was dwindling quickly.

"Because of Ellie's age when she was initially implanted with our technology, she has already grown dependent on the implants. Compounded with that fact is the human brain's natural healing rate, which means inside of the next eighteen minutes, her brain will be too healed to accept the implants she is going to need."

"Why does the donor have to be able to access that port thing?" Epps wanted to know.

"They will need to directly calibrate her implants to allow for proper function."

"Let's go," Optimus said as he started to walk quickly to the surgical bay.

"Wait Optimus!" Bumblebee stopped him in concern. "How can you calibrate them?"

"Before I was Prime, I was a data miner in the Iacon Hall of Records," he confessed as he turned and continued to the girl.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

The three minutes and forty seconds it took to go through the sterilization measures seemed unbearably long to Optimus as he followed his medic and friend into the surgical bay. His optics landed on the small being draped with green cloth instantly and he felt his spark stutter in fear. She was so pale and small, looking absolutely fragile. He didn't like assigning that quality to her; she was so strong and full of life when she was alert that he had a hard time rectifying the disturbing differences.

"She is so pale, small . . ." he trailed off.

"Mm-hmm," Ratchet agreed. "It's from the seizure. Took a lot out of her.

"Here, Optimus. You're going to have to lie down on the other berth so we can start harvesting your components. We have to sterilize them in the alcohol bath for a full minute and dry them for five before we can begin to implant them into her brain tissue."

"Of course.

"Which components will you need?" the Autobot leader asked as he took his place on the spare berth.

"We will need four from your secondary motor function region, two from your fine motor function hub, one from your primary control processor, one from your language analysis center, and six from your motor function redundancies," First Aid supplied as he minutely adjusted a piece of plating over the girl's scarred cheek just before he deployed a small device from his fifth digit and used it to inject something.

Without another word, Optimus spread open his chest plates and ordered his entire central processor component to expel from his body. It slid out with a hiss of decompressing lines.

"Primus, I didn't realize how much room you have in here," Ratchet muttered as he approached his prime and deployed several small instruments from the tips of his fingers. "Alright, now I won't be taking anything that will require you to be offline, but it will be somewhat painful for you," he warned.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yes," the Autobot leader said with great conviction. If nothing else in his long existence, he was certain about this.

Ratchet dove in and quickly began to remove the required components.

That wasn't too painful, he thought as he watched Ratchet's hands moving surely around his innards.

"That was the easy harvesting we needed. It is going to get progressively worse from here," the medic warned as he accessed an enclosed structure inside the processor and ordered it to open.

Optimus hissed in pain as the air hit the previously sealed area. He felt the quick tugging sensations as more components were removed.

"Yeah, the nitrogen in this atmosphere is reacting with the components in your secondary control hub. It makes them hyper sensitive," Ratchet said as he finished up and moved deeper into his processor.

"This is where it is going to get Pit-searing painful," he warned.

The blue and red mech nodded and clenched his jaw. He gripped the edge of the berth and locked his legs around it to keep himself still.

"Last two," Ratchet said conversationally as he opened another sealed section of the mech's processor.

Optimus couldn't stop the painful gasp that escaped his vocal processors.

"This is going to make you rather dizzy for a few seconds and interfere with your language. That will only last about thirty-two to thirty-eight seconds. After that, it may take up to ten minutes for you to be able to access your secondary language and culture protocols. Don't get too concerned about it unless it lasts longer than eleven minutes," Ratchet warned as his hands disappeared for the last time inside Optimus' processor.

"Aaarrrghh! Guh!" the prime screamed as the pain assaulted him. He hastily turned off his vocal processor to keep the assembled 'bots and human from growing concerned and potentially running in to save him. He feared that they would, inadvertently, harm the girl if they did. His hands gripped the berth tightly and his legs began to squeeze against the metal. He felt and heard the metal begin to give under his assault as his back arched in pain.

What was taking him so long this time? The last ones were done in less than five seconds each, so why was this time different? The thoughts swirled briefly through his pain filled processor.

Finally, the pain began to slowly fade as he felt a cold sensation enter his chest. In confusion, he looked over to the helpless child to make certain she was still there. Hesitantly, he released the metal of the berth and reached for her.

"Wait a minute there Optimus," Ratchet stopped him, grabbing his arm. "Let's make sure you've got control of your fine motor function first. You don't want to accidentally hurt her because you couldn't properly gauge distance or pressure.

"Here, grab the sensor," the medic ordered as he produced the instrument from another finger.

Optimus tried to grab at it, but smacked it instead. The second time he was able to put his fingers on it without hitting it, and then slowly ordered his fingers to close.

"Alright, that's good; now apply exactly forty-eight pounds of pressure on it."

Optimus increased the pressure on the sensor.

"That's forty-eight hundred pounds Optimus. Release the sensor and try again," Ratchet ordered as he grabbed the harvested chips from under the lamp Spiral had put them under to dry. He handed them off to First Aid as he turned back to his other patient.

"Good. That's right. Off by point zero, zero, zero, three percent. Well within acceptable range, but you might want to make note of it and self-adjust. If you still have problems, then we'll see about a medical adjustment."

"Ellie," Optimus was able to say in English. "How is she?" he slipped into Cybertronian.

"We're implanting you're harvested components into her now," First Aid informed as he maintained his focus on his work. "Would you like to watch?"

"Nyet!" he vehemently refused, slipping into Russian.

"I've re-pressurized your sealed processor sections and run a diagnostic. You can retract your core now, but keep your chest plates open so I can keep an optic on your progress," Ratchet ordered.

Optimus complied and gingerly sat up. "What is on her left shoulder?" he asked, still in Cybertronian, when he saw the yellow stain.

"Antibiotic. We need to keep the site we will be operating on sterile," First Aid supplied.

"While you are inside her new processors, we will be operating on the screwed up shoulder seat," Ratchet informed.

"When do you need me to recalibrate her implants?"

"First, we have to finish implanting them all, then we will need to connect the last of them with the access port," First Aid responded as he grabbed the last component from the shallow dish they were laying on.

"What can I expect to find?" Optimus asked in curiosity, finally able to speak a full sentence in English.

"There we are," Livewire chirped happily as he continued to monitor his patient's vitals and worked on an apparently delicate aspect to her optic.

"We wanted to also wait until you were able to speak in English. After all, that's the only language she knows; so if you were to try to calibrate her implants in Cybertronian, then she wouldn't have understood and they would have begun to fail sooner rather than later," Ratchet also supplied.

"What are you doing to her optic?" Optimus asked the small medic.

"Creating eyelids. The idiots that initially replaced her eye surgically removed hers. Now, I'm forced to manually reconnect the muscles of her eyelids and cross-connect them with her optic control center so that her optic shuts off when she closes them."

"As to what you are likely to find," First Aid added, "well, we aren't sure. This is the first time anything like this has ever been attempted. You might find nothing but lines of code from the implants to bits and pieces of her memories to a complete memory download. No way of knowing," he said as he glowered at something he was doing inside the girl's head.

"Has the bleeding stopped?" Ratchet asked when he noted the look of intense concentration on the younger mech's faceplates.

"Started seeping a little bit when I connected the last of the implants to the control hub. Isn't increasing in volume, but it isn't decreasing as fast as I'd like."

"Do you need me to glue it?" Livewire asked as he leaned back from the child's face.

"What's the status on her eyelid?" Ratchet asked as he looked over the young medic's shoulder.

"Just finished. Of course, we won't know how well it works until Optimus calibrates them and tests it."

"Yeah, you'd better glue it," First Aid decided as he leaned back.

"Why was she bleeding?" Optimus demanded.

"When her implants started to fail and caused her seizure," Livewire said as he scrambled around to stand on First Aid's knee, "a couple of the smaller vessels were ruptured. Normally, they would just be monitored and allowed to heal on their own. However, because we are implanting new technology inside her head, we can't wait."

"Let's just try pressure first," Ratchet decided. "If that doesn't work, then we can use the adhesive."

"That's what I was going to do," Livewire confirmed as his finger slipped beyond Optimus view inside the child's head. "You have the nano's reprogrammed and ready to go?"

"Yes. They will aid in the rapid repair and allow new necessary connections to be established that we may be unaware she needs," Ratchet supplied.

"You are using self-repair nanomites?" Optimus asked in alarm.

"Have to. We were able to save ninety-nine point four percent of her cerebral fluid, but she still needs extra assistance given her new implants and all the damage done to the brain matter."

"Alright, it's stopped. Let's add the cerebral fluid and close her up," Livewire ordered quickly as he jumped off First Aid's knee and took up a position by the child's yellow-stained shoulder.

"We're closed up here," First Aid announced as he screwed a small piece of metal that Optimus recognized as protoform skin over the hole in the girl's skull. Then, deftly, he flipped the piece of skin down over the site and slid a narrow tube under it.

"Commencing restoration of cerebral fluid," Ratchet informed as he connected an odd bag filled with something clear to the tube.

"Optimus, you need to run a complete self-diagnostic. Make sure all of your programming is correct and not missing a single line, then you should prepare a translation program to upload to her new implants, or else translate the programming first," First Aid advised.

"I'll translate it before I upload it," the prime decided. "There's no guarantee that she'll be able to access or utilize a translation program independently."

"Good point," First Aid agreed.

"Self-diagnostic complete. Other than warnings about missing redundancies and notifications of rerouted processor pathways, everything is within acceptable parameters for a mech of my age."

"Mm-hmm," Ratchet commented. "Access self-diagnostic protocol gestational prime three, three, seven, two and then make the necessary corrections."

Optimus cocked his head at the medic in confusion before his optics dimmed as he located, then performed, the requested diagnostic. "Diagnostic in-process; found, two hundred, seventeen corrupted lines. Fixed; two hundred, five corrupted lines. Required; medical intervention to repair twelve corrupted lines. Shut down initiated," he said before he slumped into the diagnostic ordered shut-down.

"What happened?" First Aid asked in confusion.

"When he said his diagnostic was within normal parameters for a mech his age, I realized that some of the unused files were corrupted or otherwise overwritten."

"So, why would that matter?" Livewire asked curiously.

"Because he is calibrating those implants inside the brain of a human child," Ratchet replied as he accessed a port on the back of Optimus' helm and brought up the damaged lines of code. "She will need the damaged portions of the code to operate them.

"Unlike an adult Cybertronian," he continued as he manually rewrote the lines, "she will need the step-by-step directions, just like a hatchling. Hopefully, as she gets older, she will develop her own shortcuts to improve the efficiency of their operation."

"That's why you told him to initiate the gestational diagnostic," First Aid said in realization, "the fastest way for him to locate any corrupted files was through the spawning protocols."

"Spawning protocols?" Livewire asked in fascination.

"Our race can reproduce much like the humans do," Ratchet informed as he ran another diagnostic on Optimus. "However, unlike humans, Cybertronians usually can't just reproduce at any time. For us, it requires a concerted effort and some planning. Namely downloading the proper programming to the spawn."

"Oh," Livewire said as he disconnected the now empty cerebral fluid from Ellie's head.

"Cerebral fluid finished. Just need Optimus and to replace this shoulder seat," the small mech announced.

"I'm bringing him online now," Ratchet informed as he disconnected from his leader's helm.

"Ellie!" Optimus yelled as he came to awareness.

"She's fine," the small mech soothed. "We're just waiting for you to do your thing so we can finish with her shoulder."

"She is fine?" the Autobot leader asked in trepidation.

"Well, as fine as can be expected given how her day has gone so far," First Aid answered.

"You can shut your chest plates now Optimus," Ratchet ordered. "If you deploy your primary data cable and connect to her, you can find out for yourself what her condition is."

Quickly, the prime closed his chest and gingerly stood up from the ruined berth. His chief medic held onto his arm a few moments to allow him to regain his equilibrium. Reverently, he knelt by the child's bedside and ran a gentle finger along her cheek. He just needed to reassure himself she was still there.

"I don't want to harm her," he confessed as he deployed his cable from beneath his chest.

"I can connect it to her data port if you'd like," Livewire volunteered, recognizing the concern over their size difference.

Optimus' optics shifted briefly to the little medic before they returned back to the child. "Please."

Livewire accepted the connection from the massive fingers and looked at the orientation required for the pieces to fit together. "Here we go," he warned just before the cable and port connected with a soft click.

Optimus was already lost inside of Ellie's mind before the small mech's fingers released the connector.

**A/N:**_ Here's the latest installment of __Children of Megatron (CoM.) Hope you enjoyed it. Now, I'm debating if I should dedicate part of the story to what Optimus finds in Ellie's head, or if I should write another companion fic. If I include it here, then it will probably add at least a__n__other chapter to the overall story. _

_In update news; I have some emotionally difficult stuff happening this week, so I don't know how that will affect my ability to update. It may make me too depressed to write for a while, or else I will just need to escape into Ellie's universe to escape my own problems. Who knows? Anyway, please let me know what I need to improve on, what you would like me to expand on and what I did right. As always, thanks for reading. Tracy_


	45. Chapter Forty Four

**A/N:**_ Sorry it took me so long to get this out, but things have been super hectic around here. Plus, there's been a slight hiatus of this particular plot line every time I actually had the time to write. As to what's going on in this chapter, it's basically a tool to build a little bit of suspense about what's happening with Ellie. We're pretty much catching up with the other characters. Dr. Carlisle, AKA Uncle Al and tech Cespedes aren't in this chapter, but they will appear again. The Phoenix though . . . that one I think will not be back until the major battle scene. Next chapter will have a time skip, mostly because there won't be anything major happening with Ellie's plot while she's unconscious. As always, please let me know what I did right or wrong. Tracy_

Chapter Forty-four:

The room was fuzzy and bright as he regained consciousness. The sound of a heart monitor was beeping somewhere to his left as he blinked to regain some clarity in his vision. Eventually, the bright overhead light came into focus and Major Ellison groggily looked around to try and get his bearings.

"I see you're awake," Dr. Zadak said from the stool sitting beside his bedside.

"What happened?" he asked through a dry throat.

"As near as we can figure; you got crushed by a Deceptacon when you tried to run. You're back at N.E.S.T. command in the prison medical ward," she answered simply.

"N.E.S.T?" he said in alarm as he tried to bolt upright. The clinking of the handcuff on the bed railing informing him he wasn't going anywhere while the agony that shot through his hips and below agreed viciously.

"Easy! You were crushed from the lower pelvis down; you aren't going anywhere without the aid of a wheelchair any time soon."

"So, they know about me?"

"Yeah. The fact that your audial implant was hanging out of the back of your ear kinda sealed it for them."

"My audial? But I can hear just fine."

"Jolt built you a new one, less, of course, the explosive."

"What explosive?" He eyed her suspiciously. Why would an alien robot want to help him hear? Unless it was so he could use him to eavesdrop on the other humans. And that whole story about an explosive would have to be a lie. Dr. Carlisle would never want to kill other humans, not when the aliens where trying to take over.

"Airman Cary was killed when an explosive in his optical implant was triggered. It made the Autobots scan the rest of the cyborgs for other explosives. Every single one of them were rigged. There was even evidence that your audial was rigged too, but because it was crushed, it didn't go off."

"Lies!" he roared. He refused to believe that Dr. Carlisle would condone something like that.

"No, Major Ellison. It's the truth."

"No! Dr. Carlisle would never betray us like that."

"Yes, he would and he did," Security Advisor Jennifer Agosto informed from the door with another woman beside her. The way the guard closed the door after them did not escape the major's notice.

"How would you know?" he demanded.

"Because I was his lover for a little over a year. I know him better than just about anyone. He has no soul, no moral compass or scruples of any kind. In his mind, you are nothing more than a subject to be studied and then killed when he gets what living information he needs so he can study what happened to your body," she confessed with conviction.

"I don't believe it. It's an alien robot trick!"

"I've read your file," the other woman addressed him. He noticed for the first time the faint glow from her right eye that indicated a functioning optic. "It said that you were a loyal member of N.E.S.T. before you were injured in Egypt. Tell me, when did you become convinced the robots were all evil?"

He thought back to the first time he remembered distrusting the robots. He had always been leery of them, hadn't he? Wait, he remembered a time when he took the now dead Arcee and her sisters to his family's fishing cabin in Minnesota and taught them how to fish. The memory of their deaths brought a pang of grief to his heart that he didn't understand.

"You are trying to confuse me," he accused in frustration. "I've always been cautious about their intentions."

"Were you?" she asked, refusing to let the subject go.

"Of course! When I woke up in that hospital after my implant surgery, it was proof that they were always out to conquer Earth.

"Who the hell are you anyway?"

"My name is Leslie Austin. I was a member of Carlisle's first security unit until I realized we were all being brainwashed through subliminal messaging."

"What? That's impossible. Besides, it would have to take months or even years to affect any outward results," he hotly denied.

"Not if you were suffering from a severe trauma and emotional distress, such as your own injuries and the death of your best Autobot friend, Arcee," Dr. Zadak added.

"Leave her out of this!"

For a moment, none of the women said anything, trying to gauge if he had realized the vehemence of his own response.

"Why did you react so strongly?" Austin asked gently when he didn't seem to.

"Because she has nothing to do with my realization that all of those damn aliens only want to subjugate us and kill any of their own kind that might object," he said with certainty.

"You think they let Arcee die on purpose?" Agosto asked with dawning realization.

"She was my friend! I knew she had my back until that Lennox bastard sent her to die!" he said hotly as the tears began to fall down his cheeks. "Both sides took her away from me; the 'Con that shot her, and the medic who didn't try hard enough to save her. He could have saved her if he had allowed that Prime jackass to stay dead. He sacrificed her to save that failure of a leader of theirs."

"Major Ellison! Enough!" General Lennox roared as he stood in the doorway.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"So, how's the plan coming Maestro?" Fig asked the computer he was sitting at in the security office.

"The reassembly is progressing as scheduled," flashed across his screen before it disappeared.

"And the girl's end?"

There was no response to his question.

"Maestro? Did you hear me?"

"Yes. There has been no contact with her."

"And?"

"It is unusual for her to go more than twenty-eight hours without contact."

"You're worried about her?"

"Yes."

"Have you tried texting her to find out if she's alright?" he asked as he flicked a ladybug off his coffee cup.

"Yes. They haven't responded yet.

"You just upset Itsy you know."

"Who's Itsy?" he asked in confusion.

"Her," was the response as the ladybug dive bombed his optic. She hit with an audible clang as the optic cracked and his vision went dark out of that side.

He began to swear in Spanish as he fell over backward and threw his coffee at the irate insect.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Hound!" Mike was able to get the unit commander's attention from the entrance. "We got a text from Maestro asking what's wrong with Ellie," he said in his chattering language. "What do I tell him?"

"How would he know something's wrong?" the trailblazer asked in curiosity.

"Ellie never goes more than twenty-eight hours without contacting him or retrieving his emails. It's been over thirty-three."

"Tell him she's in surgery to replace her implants. We will let him know when she is recovering. Inform him that I will retrieve the message he sent from the last email address she used in one hour unless he would like to send it to me."

"He said he'll send it to you direct. Wants to know your address."

Hound gave a series of numbers and letters at a common free email host.

"He's resending the files to your email address with a warning; it's encrypted. You might want to use Ellie's laptop to retrieve it. She has the de-encrypting virus already installed in the silver one.

"By the way, just from a personal observation," the microwave added. "You might want to have a more common designation in front of the 'at' sign. It's unlikely any human would remember such a random sequence of numbers and letters. It could flag monitoring software that a Cybertronian is using it."

Hound cocked his head at the little mech and thought about it. "You know, you're right. I hadn't thought about it.

"Where's the laptop?"

"Silver one is in the lab in the bottom left most drawer of her worktable."

"Got it. I'll let Prowl and Ironhide know where I'm going," he said as he turned to go back through the hologram.

It was easy to let Ironhide know where he was going to be; the old soldier was hooked up to the arena to blast his frustrations out in a holographic battle against Sentinel Prime. Leaving the mech to his third unequivocal trouncing of the traitor, he turned around and went back into the lab/med bay. Finding the drawer in question, he pulled it out completely and had to dump the contents out into his hand just to get access to the device in question. He removed it from the six other laptops of various colors and manufacturers and put them back before he replaced and closed the drawer.

Nodding to himself, he comm'd Prowl to inform him of his self-appointed mission and the guesstimate that he would return in about an hour or two. Transforming, he put the laptop on his front seat and left the lair. Yeah, an hour should be plenty of time for his initial test.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

It was another twenty eight minutes before the stingray twins were able to get Ironhide to give up the arena so they could take him on. Finally, Megatron was in the midst of a decent battle against the Autobots when the ancient medic decided to make another appearance. Relieved by the appearance of the gruff mech, he dismissed his image from the arena just as the twins attempted to sandwich him between their holographic blades. He didn't even notice when they impaled each other and forced their images to disappear as they came back to their bodies.

"What word have you medic?" he ordered. He pointedly ignored the whining of the twins about his cheating, instead he focused solely on the bright yellow mech.

"Optimus is with her now," Ratchet answered, sparing barely a glimpse at the Deceptacon leader as he addressed the rest of the assembled. "He is calibrating her implants and First Aid and Livewire are finishing up with her shoulder. When they are done, we will reinstall her limbs so that he can properly test them."

"Can you determine what damage has been done? That the seizure caused?" the yellow scout asked eagerly.

"Not until she wakes up. These humans don't have the technology to properly map their organic brains or backup their memories, so it is really just a guessing game. That is where you might be able to help."

"Anything," the young mech assured instantly.

"You have some sort of connection with her to the point you were even able to hack into her implants without a transfer lead," the medic started. "Would you be able to help rewrite any memories that she may have lost? The cascade failures damaged some of the surrounding tissue, so, again, we don't know what is missing."

"I'll try, but I didn't really get any sort of solid memories. They were mostly feelings and impressions. My guess is they were from when she was very young, barely even old enough to talk."

"Still, if she has lost them, it might be necessary to restore them. However, there is something I know you will be able to do."

Megatron addressed Soundwave in their private code, "You will help him if you can."

"Soundwave acknowledges," the stoic mech replied instantly. If the Deceptacon leader didn't know any better, he could almost swear a slight hint of eagerness had slipped into the spymaster's tone.

"What do you need me to do?" the scout was asking the medic, eager to do something to help the girl who had suddenly taken up an important place in his spark.

"Here are the implants we've removed from her," the medic said as he held out a small tray to the scout who, hesitantly, accepted it.

"We did clean them off," the Autobot's chief medical officer hastened to add at the look of utter horror on the young mech's faceplates.

"What we need you to do is to see if you can determine what the trigger was," the medic was saying. "Also, anything else you can find out about them; what they were supposed to do, how they did perform and see if you can locate some sort of signature as to who programmed them."

"Of course. Can I utilize any resource available?" the scout asked vaguely.

Briefly, Megatron wondered what the scout was up to.

"Yes, yes. Use anything you have to," the medic waved him away as he addressed the rest of the assembled.

"I'll let you all know how she is progressing when I can," he concluded as he turned and hurried back out of the gathering chamber.

Looking up, Megatron watched the young mech walk over to the arena and stop in front of his hologram.

"Megatron, I've been inside Ellie's processors and I know what you mean to each other," the yellow mech addressed him. "Will you issue the order to Soundwave to help me with this, and not try to subvert any discoveries on behalf of the Deceptacons . . . especially if it could prove harmful to her?"

The silver hologram watched the young mech with a great measure of respect. It wasn't often anyone would look him in the optics and ask for his help. Of course, few actually deserved his help, but this was about protecting his little one.

"Soundwave, you will help the scout with this mission, and you will share all human modified discoveries about her implants with him," Megatron ordered.

"Soundwave acknowledges," the spymaster reiterated. "I will help you," he addressed the scout.

He watched the young scout quickly and eagerly disconnect his communications officer from the arena and hurry him off toward the work room.

Primus, help them, he thought as he turned back to the front liner twins facing him from the opposite side of the arena. "I believe our match was interrupted. Care to continue?" he taunted as he flickered into the arena.


	46. Chapter Forty Five

**A/N:**_ Hey all! FINALLY got this one out. Sorry it took me so long, but I developed writers' block after it was started. Note of interest; a 'ber' is a Cybertronian game piece, kind of like a coin. As always, let me know what I did well and where I can improve. Tracy_

Chapter Forty-five:

It had been exactly thirty-eight hours and twenty-nine minutes since Ellie got out of surgery. She had not yet stirred and Bumblebee was getting worried. In concern, he nudged at his strange bond with her, just to make sure she was still there, and was somewhat mollified when he felt her still presence.

"Hey Ratchet," he called to the chief medical officer as he was walking through the work room.

"Ellie will be fine," he answered before the scout could ask. "She is in a medically induced coma right now. We will keep her in it for another two hours or so to allow the self-repair nano's to work on the new implants. By then, we will have all of the bugs worked out of her limbs and Optimus will recalibrate them so she doesn't have any problems."

"How long after that should she wake up?"

"The human body cannot sleep more than fourteen hours straight without medical aid," he assured.

"Will she sleep all fourteen hours?"

"It's hard to say, it will depend on how much self-repair her biological systems will have to do on their own. The nano's may help, but the body may also view them as an infection and try to remove them."

"Is there any way of knowing how much the nano's have repaired?"

"When Optimus connects with her data port, we will have him get an update on their progress."

"Within two or so hours?"

"Yes, Bumblebee, within the next two or so hours.

"So, what have you found out about the damaged implants we removed?"

"Surprisingly, a great deal," the young mech started, grateful to have something to take his processors off of Ellie's illness for a moment. "Although the surfaces of the components were all badly damaged, the standard carbon protocols worked for every single one. We were able to determine that eighteen different individuals contributed to their re-programming. The carbons revealed this was what was written," he said as a hologram floated above his work station.

"It's all written in English," he continued, "which is why they didn't act as efficiently as they should have; the humans were trying to overwrite some coding that was hardwired with incompatible commands.

"Soundwave has been able to identify sixteen of the eighteen persons whom were employed. They had other work he was able to access when he was monitoring Earth's communications; he used that to determine their signatures. As you can see, we are quite familiar with ten of these individuals, including Dr. Longhorne."

"Very good. Send the other two signatures to Maestro to see if he recognizes them. It is always a good idea to know the capabilities of potential enemies.

"So, have you determined the trigger?"

"Yes. It was a complex triple radio frequency assault with an exact audio match."

"So, are you sayin'," Epps asked from the back entrance, "that she had to hear the same exact word, phrase or note on three different radio stations at the same time?"

"Yes," Bumblebee nodded as he watched the human walk to the kitchen.

"That's nearly impossible," he decreed as he poured himself a glass of water. "At least, by chance anyway."

"Correct."

"So, what was the trigger audio?" Ratchet asked.

"The word, 'onomatopoeia'," Bumblebee supplied.

The only sound for a moment was the loud gulp as Epps swallowed some water. "Someone did it on purpose," he stated as he lowered his cup.

"Affirmative," Soundwave agreed. "Suspect; Barricade."

"Why do you suspect him?" Ratchet asked in confusion. "Why would he save her all those years ago just to kill her now?"

"Logic; Barricade required aid for repair – human femme youngling provided. Human femme youngling valuable – used to manipulate Autobots, humans. Barricade resourceful – deduction; discovered programming, attempted to trigger."

"Are you suggesting that he found out about her battle protocols and tried to trigger them so she would try to attack us?"

"Affirmative."

"Sounds about right," Bumblebee was quick to agree. "Barricade is sneaky and underhanded, he has no honor whatsoever. It is exactly something he'd do to further his own goals."

"Maybe Soundwave should tell Megsy about this little discovery," Epps supplied as he rinsed out his cup and put it upside down on top of the water shelf. "I don't think even he'd condone killing a kid that saved him and several other members of his faction." He looked pointedly at the medic as if he was trying to tell him something without saying it.

"I'm sure he will tell him anyway," he huffed, completely oblivious to the human's subliminal attempt.

"Optimus is in the waterfall cave and Sunstreaker is sitting with Ellie before his next shift. First Aid is on duty in the med bay if you need anything. Now, if you will excuse me, I am going to my chambers for a full recharge," Ratchet said as he turned around to continue on his way.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

He knew he was there even before he felt his hands on his shoulder armor. Still, Sunstreaker couldn't take his optics off the small figure of the human femmelet lying so still.

"Ratchet said she's in a medically induced coma. She won't be going anywhere, so why don't you get some recharge before your next shift?" Sideswipe asked his twin with understanding concern.

"She saved my life Sides," he answered with awe, "twice. Not to mention my sanity."

"How did she manage to do that?"

"When she was putting me back together, she would talk to me. Granted, she didn't know I could hear after she onlined my audials and I couldn't understand her, but just the sound of her voice let me know I wasn't alone. That, in and of itself, kept me from losing my processor to utter loneliness. As far as I was aware, no other Autobot had survived the war, I didn't even know if it was still going on or not. At least, when I heard her, I knew there was still life out there, that I wasn't totally alone."

"Do you know how many times I cursed Primus for sending you on the Eight Track, and leaving me behind? A stupid flip of a ber and you were on your way. Then, when I couldn't feel you at the other end of our connection . . ." the silver twin trailed off, unable to voice what they both felt.

When Sunstreaker grasped his hand in silent support, he continued, "Anyway, the fact this little girl saved your life has put me in her debt as well. The least I can do for her is make sure she didn't save your sorry aft so you could offline yourself prematurely due to lack of maintenance. Now come on, get some recharge before your next shift."

"I got a few hours after my last shift. I'll be fine. Besides, the only thing I'll be doing is watching the proximity monitor."

"Alright, but you'll get a full 'charge afterward. I'll have First Aid notify us when she wakes up," Sideswipe relented as he squeezed his brother's shoulders before he dropped his hands and turned away. "And you will get a full recharge after your next shift or I'll have to tell Ratchet what happened to his last favorite wrench on Cybertron."

"You wouldn't."

"I would."

"You'll get in just as much trouble as I will."

"If it keeps you around a little longer, it'll be worth it," he promised as he walked out of the med bay.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Fig collapsed onto his cot in despair. Maestro had gotten an update on the girl; she was in a medically induced coma after surgery to repair damage from a seizure. That wasn't too bad, except that what caused the seizure was the attempted triggering of battle protocols. The assimilation 'bot affirmed that he and all the rest of the troops that had intracranial implants also had battle protocols. Maestro promised that he would make sure to deactivate them and the triggering mechanisms as soon as he learned how.

In impotent frustration, he shook his head. He hated not being able to do something for the kid who was the reason he could see. Subconsciously, he fingered his St. Raphael the Archangel medal as he wracked his brain for some way to help. As an idea dawned, he glanced down at the medal an ex had given him for a birthday present and called himself several kinds of stupid in two languages.

Murmuring in Spanish, he said a quiet prayer for the recovery of the innocent victim of Dr. Carlisle's heartless experiments. He relished the sense of peace that descended on him as he finished invoking the archangel's intercession. Lying back on his cot, Fig was asleep even before his head touched the pillow, content now that he'd done something for the girl.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Skywarp fumed in mute rage at the message Bonecrusher had sent him. How could he have been such a fool? There was no way he would be able to hide this from Starscream, the mech knew him too well.

"Report Skywarp; what is the status of the human femme's plan?" the air commander ordered as his trine mate came in to their quarters.

"Launch as planned," the purple jet replied crisply.

"What else?" Starscream knew that tone. It meant something was bothering his Seeker that he didn't want to outright admit to.

"That slagging, Pit spawned, grounder Barricade! He tried to get the human femme to attack the Autobots and ended up hurting her instead."

"What? How was he planning on doing that?"

"I guess he discovered she had suicide attack protocols programmed into her implants and tried to trigger them when I warped, using the displacement crack to cover his actions. He didn't know the Autobots had already discovered and removed them, so instead of her attacking the 'Bots, her implants experienced a cascade failure and caused serious injury to her organic tissue. She's in what Bonecrusher called a 'medically induced coma'."

"Hmm, that is interesting.

"As you have already stated, we are in the insect's debt, so we cannot allow this treachery to go unchallenged. However, we currently need him functional to command the ground forces during this assault."

"What are you processing?"

"That we allow Barricade's actions to remain unknown to any other Deceptacon for the time being. Then, when I am restored to my body, I will punish him accordingly . . . personally."

"Screamer?"

Starscream hissed at the hated nickname. "What?"

"What's a 'medically induced coma'?"

"My understanding is that it is a human equivalent of a medical recharge."

"Is that bad for her type of organic?"

"If she does not soon awaken from it when the apparatus is removed; yes."

"I hope she regains functionality. I liked her. She wasn't that bad, for an insect."

"No, she wasn't, . . . for an insect," Starscream begrudgingly agreed.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

The explosion rose quickly in a cloud of flame and shrapnel as the M1A1 tank disintegrated before Dr. Carlisle's shielded eyes. As the smoke cleared, he could not stop the grim smile from playing around his lips at the site of sheer destruction he had rendered.

Redirecting his attention, he brought up the readouts on his heads up display to monitor how the Phoenix had performed for this round of tests. Glowering at the real-time data results between his targeting systems and weapons discharge he walked the Phoenix exoskeletal enhanced battle body armor suit over to the awaiting transport.

"Cespedes!" he bellowed as he opened the hatch on the suit.

"Right here boss," the tech cheerily greeted.

"There is a delay of nearly two and a half seconds between targeting and firing. Subject two and six both had delays of less than half a second. Explain the discrepancy."

"Easy, they each have optic and intracranial implants. There is no delay between their observation of the target, target lock and firing because they are interconnected with all aspects. You, however, are not directly connected to the Phoenix, so you have to do everything manually after you see the target."

"See if you can trim any more time off that delay," the scientist ordered through gritted teeth in frustration.

"No problem!"

Dr. Carlisle roughly snatched his cane from the tech's fingers and hobbled back to his waiting car. He opened the door and collapsed into the back seat in painful exhaustion. Slamming the door in anger, he waved at the driver and the car took off.

"Ain't he a big bowl of sunshine," Dixie muttered as she walked up to her supervisor.

"He's so eager to get the results, but he would rather someone else pay the dues."

"As soon as he thinks I'm payin' for him, I'm leavin'," Dixie informed, emphatically.

"You and me both."


	47. Chapter Forty six

**A/N:**_ After a LOOOOONNNNNGGGGG hiatus, we're baaaaaaa-aaaaaaack. This is going to be a long chapter, and I do apologize, but I hope it was worth it. Had this chapter mostly done when __Soundwave's Secret__ hijacked me. Will probably be a long break between this chapter and the next as I finish Secret and reacquaint myself with CoM. Please stay tuned and as always, let me know how I can improve the story. Tracy_

**_Editing note:_**_ This chapter has no POV changes._

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX:

The blip in his audial processor alerted Optimus Prime of his charge's status; she was waking up. Hurriedly, he toed over the kerosene lids in the waterfall cavern and rushed out, transforming as soon as he was clear of the narrowest part of the path. Internally, he was rather pleased that he made it back to the child's bedside in less than three minutes.

"What are you doing here?" First Aid asked in confusion as he rushed out of the back office. He appeared to have been in recharge.

"She has onlined her audial implant and will most likely awaken soon," he replied distractedly as his optics latched on to the girl's still form.

"You know, I think you're right. She's lying on her side now, and we left her on her back."

"Yes, the spinal splice is uncomfortable for her to sleep on," Livewire confirmed as he entered the med bay/lab.

"I feel her side of our bond beginning to stir," Bumblebee chattered excitedly as he rushed into the cavern with Soundwave in his hands.

"What is Soundwave doing here?" Optimus asked his scout sharply.

"He won't hurt her," the yellow mech silently comm'd back. "Whatever strange sort of bond I have with her, he seems to have a similar one with her as well. Besides," he added aloud, "he helped me with the implants Ratchet harvested from her."

"What did you find out about the implants?" the prime asked.

The young mech data burst their findings to his leader who paused a moment to read them.

"Soundwave, you believe Barricade is responsible for the transmission?" the prime asked in astonishment.

"Affirmative," the hologram answered simply.

"How certain are you?"

"Eighty-three point four, four percent probability. One hundred percent belief."

"With your permission Optimus," First Aid interrupted, "Sunstreaker and Sideswipe have both requested I inform them when she wakes up."

"I believe most everyone wants to know when she wakes," Livewire agreed.

"Yes, I am sure. We do not want her to be overwhelmed when she does finally awaken, however. Hold off until she is alert.

"Bumblebee, take Soundwave back to the others. Soundwave, inform Megatron I will send word when Ellie is awake," the Peterbilt directed.

Bumblebee nodded in acknowledgment, then, reluctantly, left the chamber.

"Has Ratchet been notified?" Optimus continued, addressing the medics.

"I'm here," the gruff medic answered as he entered the med bay. "I almost forgot what it was like to get a full cycle's uninterrupted recharge," he continued happily.

"We believe Ellie is awakening," Livewire informed the chief medic as he monitored the girl's vitals.

"Yes, she onlined her audial," the Autobot leader added. "I was notified when my own audial alerted. Why did it do that?" he asked his medic and friend in curiosity.

"To put it simply," Ratchet started as he monitored her implants, "You have assumed the role of one of her creators. Since you have never had offspring before, there will be a few things new to you; the fact she onlined her audial for the first time is the first. Fact is, she shouldn't have been able to online it on her own, usually, it is the creator's duty to turn on all of their hatchling's external sensors for the first time to teach them how. Try offlining her audial," the medic advised as he connected to the medical port installed below her data port.

"Do I need to be connected to her?"

"You should have been connected to her when it onlined the first time. Try remotely, if it doesn't work, then we'll connect you."

"I was able to offline it," he confirmed after a brief pause, "but she immediately onlined it again."

"It may be a defense mechanism," Livewire offered.

"Defense from what?" First Aid was curious as he monitored the prime.

"Her uncle," Optimus answered for the small mech.

Livewire nodded. "She knows he's still in a position to recapture her, and the idea of being under his control again terrifies her. I dare say she won't ever rest easy until she knows he won't be able to come after her again, no matter who has promised their protection."

"The femmelet is awake?" Sunstreaker asked excitedly as he rushed in to the med bay.

"No. She just onlined her audial and appears to be waking," Ratchet informed the front liner sharply. "Who told you? And why aren't you at your post?"

"My shift just ended and Bumblebee was jabbering about their bond stirring," the mech answered, affronted.

"Will you please stop yelling?" the child's voice plead from the berth she was lying on.

All optics turned to look in her direction; she was sitting up with her hand covering her ear, wincing.

"Why does my voice sound so loud? I thought I was whispering," she said quietly as she winced again.

"You are whispering," Ratchet soothed as quietly as human hearing could still make out. He noticed her pained expression and lowered his volume below human hearing.

"Your implants need calibrated," he informed and continued to monitor her cybernetics. He was pleased when she stopped wincing and looked at him in curiosity.

"Do you remember me?" he asked, beginning to fear she was suffering from amnesia.

"Wrench? No," she hastily corrected herself. She furrowed her brows in concentration as she searched for his name. "Music man . . . Jazz, Jazzy's friend! Doctor bot, . . . medic. Same name as a tool, . . . Hatchet?" she asked hesitantly, wincing at the volume of her own voice.

Ratchet chuckled, "I have been called that, but my designation is Ratchet," he gently corrected.

"But Jazzy called you 'the hatchet' two hundred, four different times before you got here," she insisted.

"It is a nickname. One that I don't particularly enjoy," the medic informed.

"That's probably why Jazzy likes to call you by it.

"Where's Bumblebee?"

"He is out tending to Soundwave and Megatron," Optimus Prime informed as he carefully approached her bed.

"Thank you, Optimus," she addressed him with a bright smile of appreciation.

"Ratchet?" she continued. "Can you let him know I'm alright? He's worried about me, and he didn't want to tell you his voice is hurting. I guess he didn't want to take any attention off me."

The medic comm'd First Aid who nodded and left the room.

"Now, let's get you sorted out, shall we?" Ratchet addressed the girl as he watched her rub at her audial. "Behind your left ear is a data port. Currently, if feels like an electric outlet. Optimus has a data lead that will plug into it. He needs to connect with it so he can calibrate your new implants. Alright?"

"Okay."

The medic comm'd his leader, "You may have to run each sequence line by line to teach her how to do it on her own. Don't be discouraged if it takes a couple tries."

"Understood," the prime comm'd back.

"Ow!" Ellie gasped as she clutched at her audial. "My ear just buzzed me."

"Ratchet?" Optimus comm'd again.

"OW!" the girl immediately exclaimed.

"Ellie? Did your ear buzz when First Aid left?" Ratchet asked as he ran another scan over her audial implant.

"No. Why?"

The medic comm'd his commander, "Do not respond. I need to check something.

"What happened just now?" he asked his human patient aloud.

"I heard clicking and groaning in my ear. Why?"

Ratchet chuckled. "This is rather common with first time creators; Optimus, you keyed her audial frequency to your own comm. She can hear everything anyone comm's you, and then, since she doesn't have her own frequency, anytime you comm out, she experiences a feedback."

Optimus ducked his head sheepishly, rubbing beside his right optic in embarrassment. "Is it permanent?"

"No. You will just need to assign her a unique frequency when you calibrate her implants.

"Let's get started, shall we?"

"Livewire?" Optimus asked of the spindly mech as he deployed his data cable.

"Of course," the small medic was quick to agree.

"Ellie," he continued to his young patient, "this is how it connects," he showed her as she looked around her bandaged eye. At her nod, he connected it with a soft click.

"Optimus?" Ratchet asked his young prime.

"I am connected. Frequency change . . . complete. Beginning volume adjustment."

"One, two, three, four, five," the medic continued counting as he comm'd his leader the decibel level. He was pleased when the girl showed no signs of distress when the prime comm'd his acknowledgment.

"Very good. Now Ellie," Ratchet addressed the young patient tethered to his leader. "Does this volume hurt your audial?" he asked in a conversational tone.

"No."

"How about this volume?" he raised his voice

"It was loud at first, but it got softer by the time you finished."

"You adjusted the volume," he informed at the low end of Cybertronian hearing."

"That was really quiet. Why were you whispering?" she whispered back.

"Very good," he continued in a conversational tone. "We won't try the higher level of Cybertronian hearing; it's so high it might shatter her biological eardrum.

"Liverwire, if you will remove the bandage from her optic, we will calibrate it next."

As the small mech attempted to comply, the girl gasped and reached for her eye.

"Easy, Ellie," Optimus soothed. He caught her stray thoughts of self consciousness. "Ratchet and First Aid were able to craft an optic that looks completely human. Livewire was able to add plating over your scar so that it is practically invisible."

"Besides," Livewire added, "Everyone in this room has seen you without your glasses. Honestly, we need to see our handiwork."

"Sunstreaker, leave us please," the prime addressed his front liner. "Inform Megatron that her implants are being calibrated, but she is alert and aware."

Wordlessly, the mech left the med bay.

"Am I bald again?" Ellie asked in a small voice.

"What? Now why in Primus' name would you be . . ." Ratchet started before Livewire's comm stopped him. "Oh.

"No, youngling. We did not need to shave your head. We did have to remove a small amount of hair from the base of your skull, but it will be unnoticeable when your hair is down.

"Now, Optimus, this is going to be a unique experience; you are going to have to connect to her optic and 'see' through it in order to calibrate it."

Optimus nodded. "Connection established, onlining optic," he intoned. "Optic online. Cycling through available settings, settings determined." He offlined his own optics so he could focus solely on what Ellie's optic could see.

Ratchet created a standard Cybertronian optic test hologram in front of his patient; the swirling symbols solidifying in various wavelengths at various distances.

"Static, visible spectrum complete. Perhaps you should use Earth English characters for her understanding," the prime suggested.

"That was my intention," Ratchet confirmed.

"Ellie," he continued, "I want you to tell me what letters you see and point to the color it is on the chart at the bottom of your vision. Start with the largest and work your way smaller."

"Livewire held a patch over her biological eye as she started identifying the letter and their corresponding colors.

They went through several other tests, first with Optimus taking it through her optic, then Ellie taking it. In less than five minutes, she was able to control it on her own.

"Very good," Ratchet stated as he turned off the hologram. "You are a very quick study. Probably from having to learn your old optic on your own.

"Now, let's work on your arm."

Ellie looked down to her cybernetic arm in surprise. "How? It's strapped to my body."

"Yes, that was to hold your shoulder steady while the self repair nanos worked on healing it," Optimus informed her as he looked at her with soft optics. "One of the tasks I performed as soon as we were connected was to get a status update from them. They require total immobility of the shoulder for another ten hours, but you can have limited mobility for a week afterward. They will give us a status update after we are done with your calibrations, then twice a day until complete functionality."

"Here," Livewire addressed her as he removed the bandage holding her lower arm to her body. "We will keep your upper arm bound to help with your shoulder."

The limb fell uselessly into her lap.

"It is alright Ellie," Optimus soothed again, gently rubbing an uncertain finger along her back. "We will calibrate it and it will function as well as a proper limb should."

"Promise?"

"If it doesn't," Ratchet answered, "we will make you another one that will. I promise that we will keep trying until we figure out what is wrong and repaired it."

"What if I'm the problem?" she asked quietly.

"Ellie, you are not now, nor have you ever been, 'the problem' with anything that has happened," Optimus quickly admonished. "Besides, we have not yet calibrated it. You are, 'borrowing trouble,' I believe is the proper human expression. Let us wait and see how it responds first."

Biting her lower lip nervously, she took a deep breath and nodded after a few minutes.

"Establishing connection," the giant mech stated. "Attempt, failed. Retrying, . . . second attempt, . . . failed. Retrying, . . . third attempt, . . . failed. Retrying, . . . connection established." He blinked his optics and looked to his medic. "There is a blockage in conduit four, four, seven, eight, sigma. Can the nanos repair it or will you be required to intervene?"

"That one is near the connection point to her shoulder servo. I'll recheck the connection when you send her into recharge when we are done. Still, direct the nanos to monitor the aberration until we can determine its cause."

"What do you mean about sending me into recharge?" Ellie demanded, outraged.

Optimus lip plates twitched in barely suppressed humor.

"Despite what you might think, young femme, you are still a youngling, and as such, your caretakers have the ability to send you into recharge as required," Ratchet authoritatively informed.

"I'm not a baby and I don't need no slag suckin' nap," she grumbled moodily.

"Urielle Lorena Guardian!" the Autobot leader exclaimed. "Watch your language."

The initial shock of hearing such language from such a small being was quickly replaced by humor, which Optimus quickly tamped down.

"Well he said it first!"

"He is also much, much older than us both. He has earned the right to use it."

The sound of Sunstreaker, Bonecrusher and several others sniggering in the work room informed him that they were being listened to, and his humor attempt had been appreciated.

"Darn glitch head gets me in trouble and all I did was repeat him," the young human continued to grumble.

"What did you call me?" Ratchet demanded with forced outrage.

"That is inappropriate as well," the prime chastised gently.

The girl sealed her lips stubbornly, but inadvertently comm'd Optimus with her mutinous thoughts.

"I can hear you," he informed over the channel she had opened.

Her eyes got wide and her mouth dropped open as she quickly looked up to the mech still attached to her implants. "How . . . ?" she started.

He chuckled, "You opened a comm frequency," he told her aloud.

"She opened a comm? She shouldn't be able to do that," Ratchet said in amazement. "Perhaps you should lock her comm until she is fully acclimated to her new state."

"I am . . . reluctant to do that. There are far too many factions that would like nothing more than to capture her. Is it possible to lock her out of all channels except mine?"

"Yes, yes there is," Ratchet thought aloud. "I will have to do that. Unfortunately, it will be uncomfortable for her, so we will just take care of it when she is in recharge."

"I don't need no stupid nap!" Ellie insisted, pointedly ignoring the yawn she ended on.

"So we see," Livewire replied with a chuckle.

She rewarded him with a glower.

"Yes, I can see you are beginning to tire," Optimus soothed as he returned to the purpose of their session. "Let us continue with your calibration."

Ellie huffed out an annoyed sigh. "Fine, what do I need to do?"

"Optimus will slave your arm to him and then perform a series of motions," Ratchet told her as he frowned. He was still connected to her medical port and did not like the messages scrolling across his processors.

Holding his arm carefully against his chassis, Optimus began to slowly go through the motions with his lower arm and hand. "It is responding slowly," he comm'd Ratchet in concern.

"That's what has me concerned," the medic revealed as he continued to frown. "Aha!"

"OW!" Ellie exclaimed at the same time. She jerked back and her cybernetic arm jumped. "What did you do?"

"I agree. That was painful for us both. What did you do?" the prime asked in confusion.

"In lay mech's terms," Ratchet began, pleased to see his patient's hand smoothly flexing in mirror of his leader, "I zapped a dormant implant into working."

"Ellie! What happened?" Bumblebee exclaimed in concern as he rushed into the med bay.

"I'm not done with you yet!" First Aid admonished as he followed.

"Bumblebee! What are you doing here?" Ratchet demanded.

"Bumble, I'm fine," Ellie soothed as she stroked his jaw plate.

"First thing's first," Livewire stated to get everyone's attention. "First Aid, what have you found out about Bumblebee's voice? That will be Ellie's first concern."

"The crystal we used to replace the original silvum crystal cannot sustain the pressure of the sound wave vibrations without support. We will just need to add a liquid medium to his vocal processor box to support it. Standard Earth diesel fuel should prove adequate," the young medic diagnosed.

"How much will you need?" the Peterbilt asked.

"Half a liter."

"When I am through with Ellie, you may take some from my alt's tanks."

"Alright, now Ratchet," Livewire continued, "What do you mean you 'zapped' her implant?"

"Since she has been unable to use her arm for so long, her neural pathways abandoned that route," the medic explained. "This made the path start to close off, so I used a mild electric surge to open it back up and program the nano's about its purpose. Hopefully, it will make her arm much easier to utilize once I determine the cause of that blockage and remove it."

"That was mild?" Ellie asked incredulously.

"Yes. It was only painful because it was in a sensitive spot," Ratchet assured.

"Humph! Maybe someone should zap you in the brain and see how 'mild' it feels," the girl groused.

"I don't have a brain," Ratchet pointed out distractedly.

"Do not say it," Optimus quickly cut her off on a chuckle.

"He already did," she pointed out.

Bumblebee and First Aid began to chuckle.

"Anyone who wants to laugh at my vocoder slip can remove themselves from this chamber," Ratchet threatened after processing what he had said.

The chuckles immediately stopped in the medbay/lab, allowing the loud guffaws from outside to ring throughout the lair.

"You know," he continued to threaten, "I believe we should begin daily physicals, given how cold the temperature has been getting at night."

The laughing quickly stopped.

"Weren't you going to do that on the essence matrixes anyway?" Ellie asked sincerely.

"Matrices," Ratchet corrected. "The plural of 'matrix' is 'matrices.'

"But to answer your question, yes. I am going to start performing daily examinations of the sparks as soon as we are done here.

"Now, try to move your hand," he directed as he flexed his own in demonstration.

"Good!" he exclaimed as she was able to comply with a small amount of sluggishness.

"Now, try this," the medic demonstrated by touching each finger with his thumb in succession.

She was able to comply slowly until she tried to touch her smallest digit.

"That's good," the medic assured when he saw her crestfallen expression. "You have just narrowed down the places to look for the problem by eighty-two percent."

"And you are not one of them," Optimus hastened to emphasize when he caught her stray thoughts.

Ratchet nodded in agreement. "Now, try to move your small digit."

Ellie tried and only managed to curl her farthest knuckle.

"Hmm," the medic said thoughtfully as he scanned the digit. He physically manipulated the two stationary knuckles and was rewarded with an audible click.

"OW!" she exclaimed as her hand instantly tried to retreat. "That hurt." A look of astonishment crossed her face. "That really hurt!" she repeated in awe.

"Of course. The servos got jammed open. It's a typical problem with new replacements. I'll just re-lubricate them when you're recharging since the hand has to be physically opened."

"But it HURT! I FELT it!" she exclaimed in amazement.

"Ratchet," Livewire tried to explain when the medic looked confused. "She has not been able to 'feel' anything physical from her cybernetic limbs in almost ten years. She is trying to convey that she experienced authentic external stimuli, not, necessarily, just pain."

"Ah!" Ratchet exclaimed when he finally understood.

"All because those sl – so-called scientists," he hastily corrected himself, "didn't know how to properly marry our technology with human physiology.

"Well, just so you know," he continued, addressing his patient, "you will be able to feel through your legs as well. So let's move on to them now. We've done all we can with your arm for the moment."

"Livewire!" Ellie whimpered.

"It's alright Ellie," the spindly mech soothed. "They look completely human," he assured as he carefully removed the blankets around them.

"Feet?" she asked in amazement when she saw them for the first time. "Real feet? Like really real feet?" She could not suppress the smile that spread across her face.

"Oh my gosh! I got toes! Five on each foot even," she continued.

"That is their standard configuration," Ratchet stated drily with a twinkle in his optics.

"Yes, Ellie," Livewire confirmed with a smile. "However, you will have to learn how to walk all over again; now that you have feet instead of robotic stumps . . ."

"Pedes," First Aid supplied. "Cybertronian feet are called 'pedes'."

"Oh? Well pedes then," Livewire corrected himself.

"Anyway," he continued, "human feed are shaped differently than pedes, which means you're going to have a change in your center of gravity."

"Yeah, yeah," Ellie dismissed with a distracted wave of her hand. "New feet mean new way of walking.

"Aren't they pretty?" she asked of no one in particular.

"Beautiful," Bumblebee hastily agreed from the neighboring berth.

"Stop talking!" First Aid admonished.

Ellie's cheeks blushed hotly at his comment.

"Ratchet? How is that possible?" Optimus asked in fascination.

"What?" Ellie asked in curiosity.

"The plating covering your scar altered its coloration and temperature," he answered.

"Ah yes," Livewire answered. "It is what Webster calls 'chameleon technology.' the plating reflected what was going on behind it to allow it to blend in with its surroundings."

"Best not let mirage or Dino know he figured out their technology," First Aid muttered as he continued to work on Bumblebee's vocal processors.

"We're getting off the subject," Ratchet re-directed.

"Optimus," he continued, "make sure the connections are open, then download ambulatory protocols to her.

"Since she already knows the mechanics of walking, we are just going to make sure all connections are properly functioning."

The prime nodded, then dimmed his optics as he transferred the files. "Connection established," he intoned. "Right leg, . . . online. Left leg, . . . online. Initiating file transfer, . . . transfer complete. Beginning standard reflex test," he finished as his optics brightened. Starting with her toes, each joint flexed independently, slowly at first, then speeding up as the stiffness wore out of the joints and he learned the proper abilities of human feet.

Ellie watched in fascination as her feet moved, a bright smile splitting her face.

"Now," Ratchet said to draw her attention, "You need to try that."

Growing serious, the girl focused on imitating the movements her feet had made. When she couldn't move her toes, she sighed in exasperation, "I can't make my toes move."

"It is alright Ellie," Optimus soothed, again rubbing a finger down her back.

"Yeah," Bumblebee hastily agreed. "Those are the first cybernetic toes you've ever had. Give 'em time."

"Stop talking!" First Aid admonished, waving a wrench.

The young scout looked at him skeptically. "Not mean enough," he advised.

"He said, 'stop talking'," Ratchet threatened, looking at the scout.

The young mech hastily made the motion of turning a key beside his microphone.

"He is correct though," the elder medic conceded. "It may take a few tries to learn how to control them.

"Try your knees and work down."

Frowning in concentration, she bent her knees. They responded slowly at first, but soon quickened their response.

"Good, now your ankles," the Hummer directed.

They continued on in this manner for another ten minutes until it became obvious the girl was getting tired. With a brief data burst from Ratchet, Optimus slowly, but insistently, put his knew ward into recharge.

"Tomorrow, we will have a great deal of work to do," the prime advised as he retracted his cable and closed the data port behind Ellie's ear.

"Are the spidrobots ready?" he turned to ask the red remote controlled helicopter.

At her nod, he turned back to the assembled. "That will be the easy part. I fear the most difficult aspect will be keeping Ellie here."

"Sounds like you're getting to know her," Jazz mentioned from the work room.

"Her mind was a most informative place," he agreed as his optics took on a far away look. "Most informative indeed."


	48. Chapter Forty-seven

**A/N:**_ Sorry for how long it has taken me to get this update out. It is a rather short chapter, but it is necessary to the plot development. You see, I have the climax and the epilogue__ already figured out, it's just been a total bear to try and get the segue from Ellie's repairs and character/relationship development of the OC's and the canon characters to the vital defining moment between them. So, figure one more chapter of set-up, w__hich may be a while in coming, and then the last couple chapters should be rather soon after that. Again, sorry for how long it's taken me to get this out, but I haven't given up on this story. As always, please let me know what I did right or wrong. Tr__acy_

Chapter Forty-seven:

The razor thin microbot silently slipped through the sparse vegetation surrounding the compound. He was able to get the coordinates of the base from Lugnut before Barricade had told the lug head not to let the info slip. Besides, the way he figured it, Starscream was still in command, technically, since Megatron was incapacitated. He just wouldn't bother to mention the simple fact that he was only following the vain seeker's orders because it also would get his master back as well. With Ravage gone, Soundwave was the only family he had left.

Turning his optic back to his task, he continued the slow process of mapping out the defenses and weaknesses of the facility. He wasn't too sure of the capabilities of these Spidrobots, but he knew that the scalpels were about defenseless. He figured he would prepare for the Autobot forces to be even more so, mostly so he didn't have to allow for it on the fly.

Slowly, he crept toward the drainage culvert the stolen blueprints had outlined. It was right where it was supposed to be, and covered with both bars and a steel mesh grate. The bars, he knew, would be easy to slip through, it was the mesh that would give the medic drones the problems. Resolutely, he began to cut out a small piece toward the bottom that would meet the spec's he had been given. It was larger than what a scalpel would need, it made him wonder; exactly how big where these Spidrobots?

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

The six Spidrobots stood in formation in front of Weaver, with Webster trying very hard to imitate them at the back. A small sound from their leader and they all instantly transformed into their alts. At the sound of the large pede falls, Weaver turned around and saluted Optimus Prime in a crisp, military manner. With his optics twinkling, he returned her gesture and quickly dropped his hand in an imitation of the human officers he had seen.

"You have your troops ready for inspection I see," he greeted the small, red femme.

An affirmative warble was the answer as she quickly assumed her alt form of a remote controlled helicopter. With a practiced optic, the prime looked over the assortment of mini-bots in their alts; Weaver was a red, remote controlled helicopter, Webber was a desert camouflage patterned, remote controlled tank, Spiral was a green, remote controlled military ambulance, Spinner was a white, remote controlled Cessna, Silks was a computer tablet with a multi-hued, tie-dyed patterned case and Webster was a blue microscope.

"Very good," Optimus praised them as they transformed. "You should be aware that your Energon levels might be picked up by various detectors Dr. Carlisle may have. We will alert Maestro to the fact so that he can disable any that may be onsite. I recommend you discuss with Jazz, Soundwave and Laserbeak how to disguise your signatures, just in case there are independent detectors present.

"I trust you have distributed the assignments?"

Weaver warbled an affirmative.

"Are there any questions about them?"

A series of beeps, whistles and chitters was the response.

"You wish to know about Ellie's status?"

They all nodded and looked at him hopefully.

"She is in recharge at the moment. Tomorrow, we will work on getting her used to walking on her new legs. Do not expect her to be released in time to aid in your deployment."

Webster uttered another complex string of sounds the Autobot commander easily translated.

"It will depend on how quickly she recovers. I doubt she will be permitted too far from med bay for at least the next several weeks."

Silks shyly chittered at him with her own question.

"Of course. You will be permitted to say 'good bye' before you leave. I am certain she would not allow you to go without seeing you off.

"She should be onlining in four hours or so. We will make certain you are permitted to see her at that time. You will be deploying in five hours.

"Any other questions about your assignments?"

None of the assembled bots had anything.

"Very well then, once you have checked over your gear, you will report to Ratchet for your physicals. You are dismissed."

Weaver saluted sharply then turned around to issue the order to her troops. Optimus carefully stepped over them and continued on his way. He was off to get the latest update from Maestro.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Maestro was not happy with the latest development. Sure, he was glad to know where the "Lazarus" project was being housed, but he wasn't particularly happy about what it had entailed.

Quickly making a duplicate of the report Dr. Carlisle had been sent, he added it to the update he was preparing for Optimus Prime. It would seem that the project was not, as they had believed, the reanimation of humans using Cybertronian technology; it was the reanimation of Cybertronians being controlled by the humans.

Since it was a separate, independent facility, he was not able to just monitor it as he did with his current base. No, instead, he had to hack the feeds directly. Begrudgingly, he was impressed with the level of sophistication of the firewalls and other hacker traps, but he was still able to get into the database in under a minute. He just wouldn't mention that it took him ten point three seconds longer than his best time.

Suddenly, the sound of the Energon detector began to go off, quickly silenced by Maestro before the humans were aware. Accessing the security feed, he watched in amazement as a small, razor thin intruder made his way through the storm sewers.

"Hey! You dere!" he called as he transformed the security camera into a small humanoid shape. "Would ya be tha one called, 'Reedman'?"

The unknown intruder froze as he frantically tried to locate the voice. Finally, seeing the small bipedal form where the security camera obviously should have been, he addressed him. "Yes? Are you Maestro?"

"Aye lad! Thot I em. Would ya be scoutin' now?"

"Yes. I am trying to determine the best way to get the scalpels and spidrobots into the lab."

"Mmhmm, an' ya used the blueprints on file, did ye no'?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Doctor Carlisle has modified the base a goo' bit. All of the entrances an' exits ha' been booby-trapped an' outfitted wi' Energon detectors lad. Tha only way into the base wi'ou' detection is wi' help. My kind o' help."

"What do you propose?"

"Leave tha hole in tha grate as a secondary escape route, an' a diversion when ya'r mission is complete an' ya hafta evacuate. Instead, whot ya'r gunna do is locate tha maintenance shaft on tha west side o' tha base. Thar's a good bit o' phlox growin' thar that'll prove adequate cover fer ya all. It's a lightweight aluminum over tha cover, hidin' a carbon steel grate behin' it. Once yar through tha grate, there's a steel mesh jus' afore tha farst intersection. Takin' tha nor'east branch eigh' hundred feet will get ya to tha employee locker rooms. From thar, ya can get into tha heatin' an' air ducts to get to tha lab on tha other side o' tha base."

"Won't we be caught in the maintenance shaft?"

"I run tha security monitors. Ya will no' get caught. Tha only thin' ya may hafta worry over is tha noises ya make in tha air ducts.

"Even though tha Deadeye squadron ha' agreed to help, thar not tha only group on base. Ya hafta get past all o' them; especially tha Vulcuns."

"Yes, the ones with audial implants.

"What are the ducts made of?"

"Poin' nine aluminum."

"Then we will have to put some sort of mufflers on our pedes," Reedman speculated to himself. "Any suggestions?"

"Why no' duct tape?" Maestro asked as he chuckled with good humor.

"You know, that actually might work. Any idea where I can get some?"

"Up tha wall to yar right, tha access panel thar? It'll let ya inta tha electric access conduits. Turn ta yar left once yar in and follow tha straight fork. Once it dead ends inta a vertical shaft, go down ta tha next access panel. That'll lead ya inta tha maintenance supply room. Accordin' ta tha logs, thar's two full cases o' duct tape."

"And how should I get out?"

"Once ya get ta tha supply room, thar's a terminal thar. When I see ya, I'll give ya the _real_ blueprints an' highlight the best escape an' entrance routes.

"Don' worry; all o' the janitorial closets are completely stocked, no one should have a need ta enter tha room."

"When will the bulk of the staff arrive?"

"Ya go' six hours an' forty-two minutes," he finished as the security camera transformed back into its alt mode.

Maestro watched the razor thin mech make short work of the access panel and disappear with a wave of his tail. He kept careful track of the weight distribution within the conduits to track the progress of this new being. As soon as he got into the supply room, he found the duct tape and approached the terminal. With practiced ease, the assimilation 'bot showed the other the blueprints, entrance and escape routes, location of their comrades' fallen bodies and the best places to hide.

Once he was certain the other had all of the info he needed to accomplish his mission, he turned off the terminal and assigned a smaller portion of his processor to tracking the razor mech. More of his attention was spent monitoring the progress of the reassembly, compiling the report to be sent to Prime and tracking the whereabouts of the Deadeyes. It wouldn't do for Dr. Carlisle to begin exterminating them, especially before the reintegration.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Fig was nervous. The reason he was nervous was that most of the other members of his team were tense. Two-ten had been sent on an "intra-squadron training exercise." Those who weren't on duty were clustered around their squadron's day room, trying very hard not to appear to be watching the phone.

Idly, everyone was going through the motions of doing something else, but no one was really concentrating. They were all just waiting for word of Two-ten's fate. Most didn't think she would survive, so they were all just hoping she went quick and painless.

The shrill ringing of the phone had everyone jumping at once. Fearfully, they all began to look at each other to see who was going to answer the phone. Nobody wanted to be the one to get the news that their squadron leader was dead.

"Deadeyes!" Flaherty finally answered in an unusually reserved tone.

After listening intently to the receiver, his brows drew in confusion.

"No sir, she isn't back yet," he replied carefully.

The instant lightening of his features as he broke out into his trademark smile had everyone breathing a collective sigh of relief.

"Yes sir! As soon as she gets here, I'll tell her.

"Goodbye, sir."

As gently as he could, he set the phone back into its cradle before he let out a whoop of sheer joy.

"She's on her way back! She isn't dead! Alright!" he shouted as he began jumping around excitedly.

"What was the message you need to relay?" JJ asked, still skeptical.

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, I need to tell her that Carlisle wants to see her first thing tomorrow to discuss something about her leadership abilities."

"What about my leadership abilities?" a very exhausted looking Two-ten asked as she drug herself into the day room and dropped her gear.

"Two-ten! You're back!" Flaherty crowed as he practically tackled her with his exuberant hug.

"What happened?" JJ asked quietly.

"Don't know," she answered quietly as she extracted herself from Flaherty's hug and collapsed into the closest chair. "I was on my station, taking aim at my target when I get the call to move. Not even five minutes later, the exercise leader was where I had just left with a pair of binoculars up to his face. Whoever was the other side's sniper killed him with a bullet right through one of the lenses.

"Since I was the next highest, rank, I took command and changed tactics. Ended up capturing the whole other team."

"Well, that's what Carlisle wants to see you about," Fig announced.

"Most likely," Two-ten agreed.

"I'm just wondering how long it's going to take him to send you on more exercises," JJ admitted quietly.

"Probably, all too soon," she admitted, reluctantly.

**A/N2:**_ First of all, this is a replacement of the original chapter that was uploaded when I realized that I had forgotten to put in the POV breaks. Sorry about that. Secondly, I am truly sorry if I butchered Maestro's accent. It's supposed to be a Scottish brogue, so not really sure if I was able to adequately capture it or not. Anyway, enjoy the read! Tracy_


	49. Chapter Forty-eight

_**AN:**__ FINALLY! Got it out for you. Sorry it took so long, but I finally was able to __get most of my characters set up for the climax. See end AN for the planned outline for the end of the story. As always, let me know what I did right or wrong; I can't get better if you don't tell me where the mistakes are. Tracy_

_C_HAPTER FORTY-EIGHT:

If nothing else, Major Andrew Ellison was grateful for the low level of lighting in his room as he tried to find a more comfortable position to go back to sleep. It wasn't easy, being as he was stuck in a cast from his chest to his knees. Sighing as he gave up on the thought of getting comfortable, he began to think. He had heard everything Doc Z and the first Carlisle unit had said about the girl. It wasn't until they had shown him all of the proof that he began to have doubts.

Why had Carlisle done that to his _niece_ of all people? She was an innocent, three year old baby for crying out loud! She had needed him and he had turned his back on her. Which lead him to believe, if he would turn his back on his own family, how reliable would he be to his patients if they were to need him to back them up? He honestly couldn't be sure the man would be there.

Then, the other thing that General Lennox had told him; Arcee was still alive? How was that even possible? Not to mention that it was supposedly the girl who had saved her.

Sighing in exasperation, he resolved to find the answers to at least one of his questions; and there was one way to do it. Inhaling deeply, he held it for a moment and closed his eyes as he tried to center himself. Feeling the familiar fog in his mind, he blew out the air gently, visualizing the fog receding slightly with the movement of his breath. He continued his deep breathing exercises until he could feel the bright spot in his soul that was _her_. Cautiously, as she had taught him, he opened himself to the light, and nudged.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

The Arcee components froze in their actions when they felt the tentative brush of a long dormant bond being opened from the other end. Curious, she opened her end in answer and monitored the feelings that seemed to wash through; surprise, confusion, anger, relief, guilt and hurt were the primary emotions that flooded her. Immediately, she sent back joy, surprise, relief from her end and resumed her careful preparation, still monitoring the bond.

"Arcee, you have the extra spark chamber grounding conduits packed yet?" First Aid asked as he consulted a data pad.

"Hm?

"Oh! Yes, I believe Chromia packed it up with the pump-spark relay lines and the extra solder. It's in crate one-one-four."

"Are you alright?" he quickly asked when he heard her hesitation. "You seemed to be distracted."

"I suppose I am; a bond just re-opened."

"A bond? With who?"

"Andy, he was my best human friend before Egypt. We developed a close friendship bond, almost on the verge of a sibling bond."

"With a human? How is that even possible?"

"Don't know," Elita answered for them as she continued moving extra clamps into one of the crates. "How is it possible for Bumblebee to have a bond with Ellie?"

"Well, she's a descendant of Uriel, an apparent mutual creator of both races . . ." First Aid began before the logic became apparent to him.

"Of course!" he finally exclaimed in excitement. "If we share a mutual ancestor, then we should be able to have mutual bonds, even if they may form differently.

"So, I wonder what other ways we might be compatible?" he mused aloud.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Optimus Prime, Ratchet," Jukes greeted the two mechs as he carried a holo preserver in front of him.

"Yes Jukes?" the Autobot commander returned, his curiosity obvious.

"Sideways, here," the small mech nodded at the preserver he carried, "wishes to talk with the two of you."

Wordlessly, he handed the spark over to the medic and walked away.

"Yes Sideways? What did you wish to discuss?" the prime asked politely.

"Um, well, I was wondering if I had to be restored."

"Why?" Ratchet asked in surprised confusion. "Don't you want to be?"

"Not really," the hologram answered honestly. "I mean, I actually like not being able to fight. Truth be told, I only joined the Decepticons because I didn't have any other choice. So, if you could see your way to not taking me with you, I would be grateful."

Optimus and Ratchet looked at each other as they silently conferred.

"I believe that it could be arranged," the prime offered slowly.

"Great! I'll tell everyone that I don't think I should have my body back when Lord Megatron doesn't have his. That way, it'll seem like I'm trying to be supportive of his condition.

"Thanks Prime! I really appreciate it.

"Will you put me back on the recharge table?" he directed to the medic. "That's where Jukes was taking me before I asked him to bring me to you."

"Of course," Ratchet answered as he turned toward the work room.

"I will check on Ellie," Optimus informed as he accompanied the pair through the entrance before turning toward the new med bay.

As the Peterbilt walked into the room, he stopped short as the small spidrobots sat around their small human leader and tapped in Morse code on the berth beneath her.

"Yes, I'll miss you all too," she answered Silks' tapped out question. "But we all know this is necessary to get the matrices back to where they belong."

At Webster's tapped out question, she laughed easily. "Don't sell yourself short Webster. You're gonna have a very important role; you hafta make sure the scientists that are doing the initial work don't mess it up too bad."

More tapping had the girl frowning at Spiral as she answered his question, "What does that mean? Of _course_ I'll be there when the matrices are re-integrated. Where else would I be?"

"You will be here," Optimus answered her question before the spidrobots could. "It is simply too dangerous for us to take you along."

"You are, of course, referring to my recent surgery, aren't you?" she asked with an angry sparkle in her eye.

"Predominately, yes.

"There is also the fact you have been hiding from your uncle for years now, and we cannot take the risk of him capturing you if something goes wrong."

"Well, first of all, my uncle thinks he's a real American hero; he will be where the action is, right in the middle of the fight. Given that he's walking now, I can guarantee that no one will be able to just push his wheelchair into a safe room and keep him there. He won't get his hands on me again.

"Secondly, I have to go to the compound; I just had surgery, which means that I need to remain close to my doctors. Since you can't really spare anyone to remain behind to monitor me, AND get the most Cybertronians online in the least amount of time, the most efficient solution is to let me go with them so that IF something happens, they will be able to respond immediately."

"Nice try, but you will remain here," he ordered in a brook-no-arguments tone.

"No I won't. I have to go with you."

"No."

"Yes."

"No. That is final."

"I'm still gonna go. If not with you, then I'll find my own way, and that could be even more dangerous," she threatened as she stubbornly folded her arms over her chest.

"Your arm is still reacting too slowly," he pointed out as he noticed the slight hesitation in the cybernetic limb. "You are not yet well enough to leave the lair. You will remain."

"It's only slow because I'm not used to actually being able to use it yet. So I gotta go in case it's a symptom of something else a lot more serious."

"You have not tried walking yet," he pointed out in exasperation, "there is a very low probability that you will be healed enough to join us, even if I _was_ inclined to take you, which I am most definitely NOT!" he finally informed, forcefully.

"Well then, I guess I should practice then," she answered, just as forcefully as she flung the blankets off her, sending Webster flying in the process.

Optimus deftly caught the small 'bot in midair and gently set him back down on the child's berth.

"You are undamaged?" he asked quickly of the small drone.

"I'm sorry Webster, I didn't hurt you, did I?" Ellie asked at the same time, instantly contrite.

Webster looked from one to the other before he began to animatedly gesture his anger at being flung unceremoniously off the berth. After he tried to act out his certainty he was going to be killed by the drop, he angrily stalked over behind the rest of his comrades and sulked.

"I am sorry Webster, I guess I just got a little mad," the girl tried to apologize.

"Yes, you got angry and nearly damaged your friend," Optimus pointed out. "That is why you must remain here. It could be far too emotional for you to be in such close proximity to your uncle. The success of the mission could be compromised by such careless, emotional actions.

"Weaver, Ironhide is ready for your team," he turned to the spidrobots, "say your final good-byes to Ellie and move out. I will leave you alone for a few moments."

"I'm still not giving up!" Ellie called after him as he left the lab.

"It is usually nonproductive to engage with a youngling on their own emotional level in such matters," Prowl informed as he caught up with his leader in the work room.

"How much did you hear?" the prime asked hesitantly.

"I heard your yes - no, exchange. The probability that it was in regards to her coming with us on the mission is ninety-seven percent, given how Clyde speaks about her tenacity."

Optimus chuckled at the polite phrasing; "You mean he complains about her stubbornness. I must admit, she does keep all of us on our toes, as the humans say, because of it.

"What did you require?" the Peterbilt asked to change the subject.

Prowl graciously allowed the topic to shift.

"I believe it might be wise to include Clyde on the mission."

"He is very young. What is your reasoning?"

"First, his primary loyalty is to Ellie; it is highly probable that she would be able to manipulate him into helping her follow us.

"Second, he _is_ young; he requires the seasoning that this relatively simple mission will gain him.

"Finally, I have begun to form a creators' bond with him. In this stage of the bond, it is critical to maintain a close proximity with him."

"For what purpose?" the semi asked in concern.

"So their sparks' frequencies can align to allow for better communication," First Aid informed as he rushed into the work room.

"Have you seen Ratchet?" he asked in excitement.

"He is searching the _Eight Track_ med-bay for any salvageable supplies," Optimus answered quickly. "Was there something you required?"

"I guess you're going to need to know too," he thought aloud before he turned to address his leader. "Arcee has a bond with Major Ellison. She just admitted to it when he opened it on _his_ end and it distracted her.

"Do you know what this means?" he gushed, not giving anyone a chance to answer before he continued. "It means that we aren't as different from humans as we initially thought. Obviously, we share the same parent race, given that Ellie is the direct descendant of Uriel, who also was the creator of our own creator. Also, there's the fact that she already seems to have a bond of some sort with Bumblebee, then the seemingly forming creators' bond you also seem to be forming with her.

"I mean, think of the possibilities! This could mean that we might be able to utilize alternative energy sources besides Energon. By studying human biology and physiology, it might also open doors to furthering our own race without the need for the Allspark!

"If we are actually descended from the same race, then we need to map both the differences and the similarities between humans and ourselves to find out how to bridge the gap . . ."

"First _Aid_," Ratchet was finally able to interrupt his rambling as he entered the workroom. His arms were loaded with several boxes from the downed ship's med-bay.

"Oh! Ratchet, I have so much to tell you," the younger medic started.

"I already heard everything you said from the point of Ellie's ancestry. So, what topic caused you start in on this tangent?"

"Prowl was telling Optimus that he needed to bring Clyde on the mission because he was forming a creators' bond with the youngling and I told him why a forming bond needed to be nurtured. Then, I told them about the fact Arcee formed a friendship bond with Major Ellison."

"What?! She and the major have a friendship bond? Since when?"

"I don't know, I didn't ask. She did mention that they were best friends before Egypt."

"We will discuss this at a later date," the chief medical officer directed at his young apprentice. "Optimus, Clyde and Prowl can't be separated for any length of time at the moment until the bond has fully formed; it would be especially harmful for the youngling. As far as Ellie goes; it is my medical opinion that she either has to go on the mission with us, or you and I both have to remain behind with her.

"Since I have more experience dealing with critical injuries, I _must_ go. First Aid simply does not have the experience to handle any problem that may arise with Ellie's unique physiology to leave him to tend to her.

"Now, is there anything else?" he asked with finality.

"Yes!" they heard Ellie exclaim excitedly from the direction of the lab entrance.

"What are you doing out of your berth?" Ratchet demanded when he saw the child standing at the entrance.

"Uh . . . practicing walking?" she tried innocently.

"Mm-hmm, so, practice walking back to your berth.

"Come along now, let me see how the servos align when in motion," he ordered as he handed the boxes off to First Aid and followed the girl out of the room.

"What just happened?" First Aid asked in shock as he looked after his superior, dumbfounded.

"Ratchet was here," Optimus answered simply as he and Prowl left the work room.

_**AN2:**__ So, to Mr. Runner, as promised, I was able to get Sideways into the storyline. I apologize if that wasn't quite what you meant, but according to his bio, he's kind of a wimp. Figured this would be the best way to keep him __true to his character. _

_**AN3:**__ Currently, the plan is as follows – next chapter – catch up with the 'Cons / the spidrobots and scalpels, with Reedman, make their entrance into Uncle Al's compound._

_Chapter 50 – Catch up with the Deadeyes / catch up with Uncle Al and his techs / Optimus, Ellie and the cooperative forces assemble._

_Chapter 51 – Final climax._

_Epilogue – including updated version of Cybertronian to English dictionary._


	50. Chapter Forty nine

**A/N:**_ Hey all! Sorry this is so late, but stuff has happened, like I just got hired at a new job and will be starting in a couple weeks (Grins and does a silent happy dance,) and other stuff. Also got a Beta, say "Hi," Khalthar! _

_**Khalthar's Notes:**__ Greetings Readers. Some of you may be familiar with my work from the AVP section, or follow __some of my own stories__; if so, then you know that I enjoy a quality result. Well, you__'ll find that and more in this story. Enjoy._

**A/N1 Cont: **_Anyway, there are a couple of notes at the end that can answer questions about more new terms appearing in this chapter. Finally! Holy shhhhhh-sugarplums! This chapter is over 5,000 words without the A/N's. If it's too long, let me know, otherwise the last couple of chapters will probably be the same. As always; let me know what I did wrong or right, or if I've neglected any of the characters. Tracy_

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE:

Skywarp watched Barricade pace jerkily back and forth in the so-called command center of their hastily scavenged base. The idiot, Lugnut, naively tried to improve the front liner's disposition by providing information that only made him angrier. The high-altitude ambush specialist smirked in barely suppressed humor when the black and white missed his backhand attempt and caught the flimsy wall.

"Slag it!

"Lugnut! Fix that hole you made me make," he ordered crossly.

Submissively, the military transport hastily scampered off to find materials to do as his best friend ordered. The Seeker had to give the lug-head credit; at least he was smart enough to know when not to push the volatile grounder.

"Has there been anything yet on the channel?" he demanded of his acting communications officer with impatient anger.

Motorhead just shrugged nonchalantly, "Not in the fifty three seconds since the _last_ time you asked."

Barricade gave a frustrated ex-vent as he turned toward the Seeker. "So, where's your illustrious leader? Looking for a doll to make a mech out of him?" he sneered in irritation.

Skywarp hissed in warning as he hiked his wings and flashed his fangs. "Watch your words, grounder, or you will be looking _up_ at the dirt of this miserable planet.

"Despite his current condition, he retains his processors and is _still_ the Decepticon commander; even if he allows you to pretend to be the acting leader.

"But to answer your real questions, he is currently getting some flight time with Thundercracker and no, we have not yet heard anything from the Auto-scum or the femmeling. Even though we make no secret of our disdain of working with you and your kind, we do, at least, have the logic capacity to know we need each other to get as many of our own kind as functional as possible again.

"You also would be well served to warn your mechs that the femmeling, Ellie, is to be considered an ally and kin to both Starscream _and_ Megatron. I can assure you, if _ANY_one tries to harm one strand of that covering on her helm, either through direct or indirect actions, they will not only face severe punishment from Starscream, but also from Megatron, when he returns."

"And from _Soundwave_," Starscream gleefully informed as he was carried into the command center.

"You see," he happily informed the stunned looking Barricade and company, "we all grew rather fond of that little squishy, reliance tends to do that, but Lord Megatron, in his infinite wisdom, took extra care to ingratiate himself with her. He decided to extend his personal protection over her as long as she continues to provide for him and search for his body. In fact, he issued standing orders that any and every one of the shell-less Decepticons that become re-integrated before him is to protect her at all costs. Further, he made it widely known that Soundwave was to take a personal interest in her continued well-being, and severely punish anyone who tried to harm her; emotionally, socially, financially, mentally . . . and _especially_ physically."

"Speaking of physically harming the youngling," Skywarp conversationally redirected the topic, "the Auto-dolts informed me that she had to be taken into emergency surgery after she returned you."

"What? Why?" Thundercracker hastily asked in convincing surprise. Even though his head was turned to face his trine mate, his optics were locked on the black and white mech. If he hadn't been paying attention, he would have missed the calculating look that entered the quad-optic'd grounder.

"Well, they discovered that she had suicide assassin battle protocols installed in her implants, so, of course they removed them. Trouble is, they couldn't determine what the trigger was. Unfortunately, when I warped out of the meeting, the bang from the air displacement jarred her severely so that she had pain in her implants. Fortunately, they found out that it wasn't my warp that caused her harm; somehow, the trigger was activated and it caused a cascade failure in her implants when there was no path for it to follow.

"Last I heard, she had survived the surgery and they were waiting for her to wake up."

"Any idea on what the trigger was or how it was activated?" Starscream asked thoughtfully.

Skywarp shrugged in feigned doubt, "Dunno, they said that the bug and Soundwave were going over the removed circuitry to try and figure it out."

"If it was purposely activated," Thundercracker mused aloud, "whoever did it better hope and pray the bug finds it before Soundwave. At least with the Auto-bums, he'd have a chance of surviving."

"Incoming transmission!" Motorhead interrupted the conversation that had suddenly taken an odd turn.

"What does it say?" Barricade hastily demanded as he turned from the command trine.

"'Enroute to rendezvous. ETA, fifty-three minutes,'" the communications officer recited.

"Looks like my cue," Skywarp offered with a predatory smirk as he turned away.

"Yes; make certain Doctor and the rest of the scalpels know that their orders are to fully repair ALL Cybertronian shells – Decepticons and Autobots alike," Starscream ordered.

"Will do, Star," the black and purple seeker acknowledged as he left the ancient barn.

"Thundercracker, I require recharge time. It is best to not allow the preserver's reserves to get too low. I wish to be informed the moment 'Warp makes the drop and recharging at this point will allow for a standby charge. That is the least disorienting method to allow for a sudden interruption."

"Of course, Star. Besides, I imagine you're going to want to figure out ways to punish whoever triggered those failures in the femmeling," the large seeker agreed as he turned from the command center and left.

"Whoever hurt that insect is really slagged," they heard Motorhead muse aloud as they left out of audial range.

Neither of them heard the surprised yelp he had issued when the sound of metal hitting metal rang out.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Oh great," Skywarp muttered darkly as he landed gracefully at the rendezvous, "you two are together again."

"Aww, did ya miss me 'Warp?" Sunstreaker sneered sweetly.

"About like a bad case of space rust," he answered sourly.

"Yeah, yeah! You two can insult each other later," Ironhide interrupted grouchily as he looked up at the surrounding mechs. "We need to focus on getting the spidrobots and your scalpels inside the compound now.

"Anything we need ta know?"

"Reedman is already on site. He wanted to scout ahead to establish entry and egress routes.

"We also informed Barricade that the femmeling is under Megatron's and Seeker protection; even politely warned him that Soundwave was helping to find out the cause of her spontaneous implant failures.

"We know that Barricade and the rest of the grounders don't take us all that seriously, because they're not nearly as respectful as they should be, but one mech they ALL fear is Soundwave. Honestly, he's feared even more than Megatron," Skywarp informed with a shrug, keeping a wary optic on the newly restored Sunstreaker.

"I just bet," Sideswipe muttered sourly as he made sure to keep himself between the seeker and his still-healing twin. "It's terrifying to know that you can't even escape him in your own processors; he can and _will_ follow you."

"You're telling me," the flier agreed with a shudder.

"Anyway," he turned back toward the suddenly miniaturized weapons' specialist, "the scalpels were informed to repair all Cybertronians, not just Decepticons. Although, I'm thinking they're probably not going to be permitted to work on Autobot shells independently, they shouldn't give your spidrobots any troubles."

"Good! But I'm sure that Maestro would also be able to keep them honest," Ironhide acknowledged with a chuckle.

"So, what's your plan for delivery?" Sunstreaker asked with an irritated huff.

Skywarp smirked at the obviously unhappy front liner. "I'll carry both the scalpels and the spidrobots in my cargo hold and fly to a range of three miles from the drop zone. When I'm there, veer as if going back outside of their scanning range and warp to the dee-zee to unload the minis. Once they all meet up with Reedman and are safely on their way, I warp back to the point I should have been at on the previous trajectory and notify both you and Starscream on the selected channel. As soon as you both acknowledge, I return to base to wait for the next phase."

"Right. And if anything is not right, you will abort and return to your base until we can figure out our next move," Ironhide nodded with an authoritative air.

"I mean it 'Con. Don't try to be a hero; we are all, essentially, already dead. Don't join the ranks of the shell-less," the weapons' specialist insisted as he eyed the jet with speculation.

"Awww, I didn't think you cared," the Seeker teased without sarcasm.

"Don't worry, he doesn't" Sunstreaker was quick to inform with a chuckle. "He just doesn't want Ellie to slag him to the Pit if anything happens to the spidrobots."

Ironhide rolled his optics and crossed his arms over his chassis. "Ignore them. Just go now so it gets done already.

"The last thing any of us wants is to risk this temporary truce by injuring each other in a fight."

"Toodles!" Skywarp waggled his digits at the three Autobots after the spidrobots were secured in his cargo hold. He activated his warp drive and disappeared with a loud pop.

"Toodles?" Sunstreaker looked to his twin in confusion.

Sideswipe just sighed through his vents and shook his head. "Never mind. Let's get back to the lair; Ratchet will have my helm if I keep you out so long the cold starts to affect your welds."

"Alright, I need a good waxing anyway. You know if Ellie has any decent quality stuff at the lair?"

"Yeah, she absolutely spoils Clyde, Jukes an the spidro's," Ironhide assured with a chuckle.

"Good. Think she'll let me use some?"

"Definitely. I think she even had Epps stock up on some more when he went to get the new kitchen," the weapons' specialist replied as he climbed into the new, gold chrome colored Corvette.

"Is the wax any good on this planet?"

"Absolutely!" Sideswipe was quick to inform as he led the way back to the lair. "It's even better than Armor Ambrosia."

"Better than Ambrosia? Now this I gotta try."

Sideswipe grinned in his own processor; that was his Sunny, always worrying about his armor. Yeah, his brother was going to be just fine.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

The spidrobots and scalpels assembled in front of the razor thin droid who was to help them enter the compound. After a few micro-seconds to open the files he had sent, the entire group was on the move. Scuttling quickly up the vent shaft, they made certain to keep the structure between them and any possible witnesses. Given the pronounced shine of their armor, it was expected that the sun would have glinted off their bodies with every move they made.

Without a backward glance, they entered the compound's systems and were immediately swallowed by the shadows of the pathways. Neither the scalpels nor Reedman paid any attention to the small insect that clung to the ceiling above them. Once they had passed, Itsy took flight and followed them, keeping a steady uplink with Maestro to monitor their progress.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

J.J. and Fig were on duty when the subtle clicking of the radio alerted them to the current intruders. Glancing at each other quickly, they easily assumed a normally relaxed, but attentive posture as they made their way through their rounds. The game just jumped a level; ten days until go-time.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Where do you think you're going?" Ratchet asked the rather excitable child as she tried to leave the lab/med bay.

"They're back," she answered hopefully as the sound of high performance engines echoed from the walls of the lair.

"They aren't going anywhere, anytime soon," Livewire was quick to point out.

"Now, come on," he continued as he gently pushed her back into her seat, "and let's move on with your therapy."

"Heyya Hatchet!" Sunstreaker greeted cockily as he sauntered into the chamber. He was hoping to distract the sharp optic'd medic so he wouldn't notice the way he was slightly favoring his left leg.

"Here he is Doc Bot," Sideswipe presented as he stood guard at the entrance, "just like you insisted."

"Mm-hmm, and favoring his left leg I see," the medic said; quickly dashing the golden front liner's hopes.

"According to my scans," he continued on, pointedly ignoring the purposeful butchering of his designation, "it seems as though you might have gotten some rock salt in your ankle servos. It also seems that the cold has contracted the hydraulic line coupling a little more than anticipated. Just let me realign the temperature control conduits, and there. It shouldn't be a problem, but let me know if you experience any more stiffness like that again.

"A good wash will take care of the salt.

"I'm actually pleased with your progress, Sunstreaker," Ratchet stated candidly.

"Can I start training again?" the gold Corvette asked hopefully.

"Firearms only," the Hummer was quick to limit, "with light recoils; your spinal strut was cracked in the crash and I don't want it to have too much stress put on it too soon."

"Fine!" the smaller mech huffed out begrudgingly.

"What about the femmelet?" he continued, turning his attention to his small savior. "I heard you talking about her needing more therapy?"

"Yes, she hasn't been using her new cybernetic arm as much as we would like," Livewire informed as he directed her through another range of motions. "If she is ever going to fully integrate her new cybernetics, she is going to have to develop new neural pathways by routine use."

"I think I can help," Sunstreaker offered quickly.

"How?" Ellie asked eagerly. At this point, she would have done just about anything to get out of doing that boring old therapy.

"What are you up to?" Ratchet asked skeptically.

"Nothing too strenuous," Sunstreaker answered honestly as he held his hands up in surrender. "I'll take a nice plasma bath and then, after I've cooled off, I just need some help waxing my finish.

"It'll give her a productive reason to actually use her arm instead of the incredibly boring repetition of therapeutic motions, and I will get my armor into some semblance of order."

"Why am I not surprised?" Ratchet muttered as he turned back to the spark he was examining.

"Can I?" Ellie was quick to beg her spindly medic. "Please? Please? Please? With sugar on top?"

"Will doing something like that _really_ help you practice?" the small mech asked to confirm.

At Ellie's incessant nodding, he huffed out an audible ex-vent and relented. "Alright, I will also see if I can find your puzzle cube.

"However! Until he comes back from his bath, you will continue with your therapy. Understood?"

She smiled again and proceeded to focus intently on her therapy.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Ellie's look of absolute concentration was a blatant signal to everyone who knew her to let her be. She had a self-appointed mission to accomplish and could not be dissuaded from completing it.

Cautiously, she reached out her biological hand and gently placed it on Sunstreaker's hood.

"What are you doing?" he asked in honest curiosity.

"Testing to see if your armor surface is cool enough to the touch to wax. If it's too hot, we can't wax it 'cause it'll dry too fast and be really hard to get off. That'll leave a dull finish and probably make you itchy."

"Why are you using your organic hand instead of the cybernetic one?" Sunstreaker asked with a bit of confusion.

"I don't know how to determine temperature with it yet.

"I haven't been able to feel anything with any of my cybernetics before these new ones ya know."

"Well, is it cool enough to wax?"

"Feels like it," Ellie agreed with a shrug.

"Then test it with your cybernetic hand; it'll help you calibrate the more subjective measurements with your organics."

"That's weird," she said with a scowl.

"What's weird?"

"I got like a little pop-up window in my cybernetic eye with measurements in it."

Sunstreaker chuckled in understanding. "It's called a HUD; Heads Up Display. We all have them; when we first get a new system, we can actively monitor its function.

"Try to imagine something like; 'range: cool,' and tell me if it goes away or another screen pops up."

"Whoa! Another screen popped up, it looks like it wants more temperatures in it."

"That's because you assigned the temperature value to a range you've just identified. If you know the range of temperatures you would consider 'cool' to the touch, you can enter them into the fields. If not, there should be an option to come back to the file later."

"It's a subjective value that depends on the surrounding temperature," the girl informed with a shrug.

"Well then, that's going to require some additional lines of coding. You should tell Ratchet next time you see him so he can get to work on writing it.

"With Cybertronians, we pretty much just have a range of temperatures we can operate in that we concern ourselves with. We don't generally have too many 'subjective' values."

"It went away, but there's now this weird looking little yellow icon in the lower left hand corner of my eye."

"Mmhmm, it's so you can come back to it later and finish the range. It's a reminder that you have an incomplete file that needs attention.

"Ratchet, Optimus or any medic will also be able to see it when they access your file history."

"Why would they need to see my file history?"

"Medics use it as part of their examinations. Optimus would have access to it because he has taken on the role of your creator. It would be a way to make sure you haven't been exposed to any negative programming or viruses."

"I don't need no baby-sitter!"

"Of course not," the Corvette was quick to agree, not bothering to hide the smile in his voice.

"Let's get you waxed," Ellie stubbornly changed the subject.

"This is carnauba wax," she informed him as she showed him the container. "It's the best wax available, but I think it might be better if it was a gel."

"I'm sure it's fine like it is."

Shrugging, the girl opened the container and began to transfer the substance to a yellow micro-fiber cloth. With knowledgeable strokes, she began to vigorously rub it onto the roof in circular motions.

"Oh! Ohhhh! Mmmmmmm," the Corvette began to moan at the gentle ministrations. "That carnauba wax feels amazing. Can I have a case or two-dozen of that stuff?"

The child laughed at the silliness of the front liner. "We'll see," she teased him as she continued rubbing on the wax.

As she focused on the application, she didn't quite realize the extent of her reach until she felt her cybernetic hand catch on the trim on the _other_ side's window. Surprised, she dropped the cloth and jerked back with a squeal.

"What? What's wrong?" Sunstreaker asked quickly as he immediately transformed and drew his blades, looking between the entrance and the expanse for the threat. When he could not find one, he turned back to the girl and saw her standing and staring in absolute shock at her cybernetic arm. Tilting his head in curiosity, he quickly did some calculations and realized that her arm was much longer than it should have been.

"Femmelet?" he asked gently as he retracted his blades.

"S-s-sunst' – S-s-suns'," she stuttered as she stared at her elongated arm in shock.

"It's alright. It must be a function of your new, redesigned arm.

"Do you have a HUD message?"

"M-m-message?" she stammered as she slowly came out of her shock. "N-no? No, I have a little green icon at the bottom right of my eye."

"Select it and tell me what it says."

"It, it's a diagram of my arm. It looks like it is longer than it should be." She said in confusion.

"Imagine expanding the field and see if any more diagrams come into view." Sunstreaker suggested.

"How'd you know? There's two more diagrams now; one on either side."

"Two?

"Huh, well, focus on selecting the one that looks like your arm should be; it'll probably be white."

"Okay, hey! My arm is back to normal."

"Yeah, it seems that you have a few transformation sequences available to you.

"What was the color of the other option when you first expanded your HUD?"

"It was green."

"Really? Select it and let's see what happens."

The distinctive sounds of a transformation sequence echoed faintly from the walls of the chamber as they both watched her hand seem to fold in on itself. Raising it up to examine closer; the glinting edge of a small knife poked out of the end of her sleeve.

"Blades? Cool! 'Course, it would make sense since you don't have Energon to generate any sort of projectile weaponry.

"Alright, I'll talk to Optimus and Ratchet about getting you trained in the proper use and maintenance of your blades. I'm sure Ironhide will want to assess any other weaponry you have and establish a training regimen to get you to a competent level of at least basic self-defense.

"Now, let's get this wax off my roof; it's starting to itch."

After Sunstreaker folded down into his alt, a knowledgeable look at the dried wax proved there was little likelihood his transformation sequence got the substance on the inside of any of his armor. Satisfied, Ellie quickly began to buff off the dry wax to reveal a mirror-like finish to the gold paintjob. Working efficiently, she began to deftly apply the wax to a different section of his armor as she examined the new abilities she had discovered with the other half of her attention. As she discovered each new system, she would describe it to the Corvette who then explained it to the best of his abilities.

Ellie proficiently performed her task of waxing and buffing the vain Corvette's finish to a mirror-like shine, making quick headway until she was buffing off the wax on his rear. Bending over to determine how far under she could continue to wax, she yelped and jumped when Sunstreaker's engine roared to life and he jerked forward a foot, making her drop her sunglasses in her surprise.

"What was that for?" she accused as she glared at his alt.

"You tell me! What were you tryin' to do under my aft?"

"I wanted to see how far under the finish went so I could tell if that needed waxing too!" she huffed as she reached down to grab her glasses, and froze.

"I'm not a car, femmelet. I can handle that particular part of my anatomy without your help."

When Sunstreaker's sensors indicated that the girl had not moved from her position at his rear, he began to get self-conscious . . . especially when he realized she was staring at his _aft_.

"Ellie? Um, yeah, I know I've got a fine, eh, bumper, but it's really getting kind of uncomfortable with you staring at it."

Her only response was to move closer as she gingerly touched the side of her face.

"Ellie? You alright?"

"M-my… my . . . face?"

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Optimus did not understand the reason behind the odd processor flux that instantly drew his attention to his young ward. The humans he was often around would call it an "instinct," or "parents' intuition." If she had been a Cybertronian, he would have called it a creator's or guardian's bond, but whatever it was, he needed to get to her. Something was distressing her, he could _feel_ it.

Rounding the corner to the arena chamber, he paused in his step when he saw Sunstreaker holding a crying child to his chest, _his_ crying child. Immediately tamping down the instant rage he felt at the sight, he quickly approached the pair.

"What is going on?" he demanded with rarely heard venom in his voice. "Why is she _crying_?"

"I don't know. She was giving me a wax and practicing using her new arm when she stopped at my rear and started talking about her face. That's when she started to cry."

Studying the girl's posture, he realized that she seemed to be intently watching her own reflection in his front liner's chest plating as she touched her face in disbelief.

"Ellie?" he asked gently as he ran a light digit down her back. "What is it? What is wrong?" he continued, shamelessly using the soothing timbres of his voice to calm the child.

"My… my face," she tried to explain in between sobs. "It's . . . it's . . . not . . . ug-ly . . . an-y-mooore," she finally was able to get out.

"Whoever told you your face was ugly?" Optimus demanded in total shock as he reached out to her.

"Mirror," she answered as she willingly clambered onto his hand.

"What's goin' on out here?" Epps asked as he came out of the garage chamber. "I thought I heard her cryin'?"

The prime turned and retreated with the child towards the expanse. He would let Sunstreaker deal with the concerned human as he dealt with his distressed one.

"Ellie, your face was never ugly. Why would you believe it was?" he asked in honest curiosity as he sent soothing pulses down their bond. He did not even look up when he felt the concerned presence of his scout arriving.

Instantly, he saw a memory flux of every human that she had ever met while under her uncle's custody. Without exception, every single one had an initial reaction of utter revulsion, absolute disgust and total fear the first time they saw her. Those who managed to stay around for any length of time eventually got over their fear, pity taking its place, except for the scientists. Them - she saw how they only saw her as a thing; an experiment to be poked and prodded. She had realized, even at a young age, that to them, she wasn't even human.

"Oh Ellie," he sighed in true regret at the treatment she had endured. "The fault was theirs, not yours. You were never ugly. They were looking only at the scar damage, not you. Your . . . _custodian_," he spat the word; he would never again condone the use of a term of kinship for that monster that hurt her, "left the scar and the obvious damage as a method of maintaining control over you. He wanted only to see you as a thing to help him achieve his goals and to ensure that anyone else who would interact with you did as well."

He felt Bumblebee gently rest his helm against his arm as he stared in concern at their young ward. He could feel the honest worry radiating from the scout as he watched the tears of the child slow.

"You are truly beautiful, Ellie. Even before we ever met, I read about your actions with my mechs; how you would rush in to help them even in the heat of a pitched battle. That showed us all your soul. The true essence of who you are. You inspired all of us with your bravery and talent. In fact, even Ratchet was forced to admit that if it wasn't for your timely intervention in at least three incidents; we would have lost the mechs because of the damage they received. Damage that _you_ repaired to keep them alive.

"Then, there is what you have done for our fallen, Jazz, Ironhide, Arcee and her sisters? You were never asked to intervene, yet you _chose_ to do so, to save the lives of them, and many more. We have been indebted to you longer than we even knew, and still, you have asked nothing of us for yourself. The only reason you sought us out was still to gain our help for one of our own . You have demonstrated your honest selflessness at every turn, and I believe you still think nothing of all that you have done for us.

"No, Ellie, you were never ugly. Your type of beauty is indeed rare and cannot be bought or taught. It is not based in the superficial armor or surface of the skin, because your kind of beauty lies much deeper than that. It is the very essence of who you are. That is why we repaired your scars; not to repay the debt none of us could ever hope to begin to erase, but because you would never have thought to ask."

Optimus watched as the child blinked up at him in exhaustion. He watched her for a moment as she seemed to mull over his words. Then, when she gently tugged on Bumblebee's finger and put her visor in his hand, he felt an unexpected euphoria crowding his spark.

"It still gets bright in here, so I'm gonna need 'em, sometimes," she told the pair as she lay down on his palm.

"Optimus?" she continued after a few more moments of thought, obviously fighting her fatigue.

"Yes Ellie?"

"You can call me 'Urielle,' if you'd like," she whispered as she finally gave in to her body's demands.

Optimus stood perfectly still as the enormity of that simple statement registered.

"Wow!" he heard Bumblebee whisper as he also realized the gravity of the situation.

Gently, as if he were handling the gossamer skin of a soap bubble, he opened his massive chest plates and revealed his hold. With deft movements, he deposited his girl into the secure compartment and closed it, allowing her to recharge without the risk of undue interruption. Automatically, he connected to her implants and scrolled through the recent activity. He instantly caught the incomplete file she had managed to start and briefly examined it before he closed it to bring to Ratchet or First Aid's attention. Completing his examination, he quirked his optic ridge before turning around to return to the main lair. The entirety of his present troops stood in respectful silence, the glowing figures of the sparks' holographs watching him as well in the arena chamber.

"How long have you been there?" he asked rather sheepishly.

"Since the beginning," Ratchet assured as he began to stride forward.

"Yes, well, I automatically connected with her implants; she managed to start a range file that will need additional coding," he tried to distract.

"Already?" First Aid asked in amazement as he turned toward Sunstreaker. "Just what did you two _do_?"

"Later," Optimus ordered.

"There is evidence she has transformation sequences for her arm and legs," he addressed the golden twin. "Do you have any knowledge as to what kind?"

"She can adjust the length of her arm and legs, and she also has a basic non-projectile based weapons system."

"Weapons? She has a weapons system?" Ironhide demanded as he turned to confirm the knowledge with Ratchet.

"Mmhmm, primarily blades. Didn't want to leave her totally defenseless, although they should have been locked down."

"She can keep them, for now.

"Sunstreaker, you have a gyne to her?" the prime asked the still healing twin.

At his nod, Optimus continued, "Then I would like you to oversee her blade-specific training. You will confer with Ironhide about a weapons curriculum and allow Sideswipe to do the physical part until Ratchet clears you. If Megatron is willing, I would appreciate it if he also took part in her training.

"Any questions?"

When no one had anything, he moved to walk into the lab/med bay so that Ratchet could determine the line of code she needed.

"Prime!" Megatron's gravelly voice boomed from the arena as he strode by.

When Optimus paused and glanced back at the hologram of his greatest foe, the warlord continued; "You were not wrong. What you told her. She is very brave and extremely selfless."

The Peterbilt nodded and continued on his way.

"And beautiful," the Decepticon commander added quietly to himself, knowing that his old friend and enemy would have heard what he left unsaid.

**A/N2:**_ "Armor Ambrosia" is a fictional name brand of a high-end armor wax and conditioner from Cybertron. So, anyone planning on using the name for their own stories, make sure you reference this story and let me know so I can try and give you a shout out__.__ It might just generate a couple more people worth of traffic for your story._

**A/N****3:**_Gyne:(Pronounced like "shine," only with a "j" instead.) literal translation – "spark oath." It is the Cybertronian equivalent of a life-debt. Got the idea for a life-debt from "Antebellum" by SavvyEnigma, and used with her knowledge. The term, "gyne," is my own._

**A/N4:**_ Note of Cybertronian customs: __earlier in the story, Ellie informed Optimus and the rest of the Autobots that only her dad and grandmother had ever called her "Urielle." In essence, she was informing them that __her given name was a reserved privilege that only her true family would be permit__ted. By granting Optimus permission to call her by her full nam__e, she, essentially, adopted him as family. Since she is an orphan, she is asking him to become her father, or creator__. When Optimus then put her in his own hold, he was publicly accepting her __adoption and acknowledging himself as her true father__/creator.__ Of course, during the course of a war, the adoption significance is __suspended in order to help protect t__heir young._

**A/N5:**_ Finally, I wanted to give my sincere gratitude to Khalthar for taking the time to Beta this chapter. You all can thank him for the length, and the interlude between Optimus and Ellie regarding her scar._


	51. Author's Update

Author's Note:

_I wanted to take the opportunity to apologize for not updating this story recently. I just got a new job that I am trying to get acclimated to and simply have not yet been able to get back to it. When you've gone from working random shifts to a steady daylight . . . well, it's hard on your internal clock. I can promise you that both my beta, Khalthar, and I have been working on this story, and it is really starting to come together. Just, please be patient, hopefully it will be done within the next 3 weeks. _

_ Thank you for your understanding and continued support._

_Sincerely,_

_Tracy_


	52. Chapter Fifty

_**A/N:**__ Sorry it took me so long to get this out, but sometimes well meaning people cause unintentional problems.(i.e. My family) Usually, __I__ will PM my reviewers when they leave a review, but given I've had several 'guests,'(And __I__ LOVE getting guest reviews, __I__ just have to limit your privacy this way,) I'm going to answer you here: First of all, I've updated! Secondly, the fate of Megatron's body will be revealed, eventually. (evil grin) __I__ am trying to go back and fix the POV breaks that seems to have a habit of eating, let me know if they don't go through or __I__ missed a chapter. Finally, there are several time skips in this chapter, so just realize that most of the POV breaks are actually time skips as well. So, that's all for this first A/N, __I__ will have a second one at the end. CREDIT: this story has been BETA'd by Khalthar and he wrote the main 'nightmare' scene with a few tweaks from me. Tracy 4 now._

CHAPTER FIFTY:

"No! It can't be," Major Ellison murmured aloud as the video ended with a black screen.

"I can assure you, it is quite true," Jolt answered the injured officer. "The video is authentic and has not been altered nor edited in any way.

"'Maimed Angel' was a _sparkling_ when her custodian began experimenting on her."

Major Ellison looked at the blue medic in helpless sorrow. The term "sparkling," was not one he had heard before, but he could guess the meaning. Plus the absolute malice he heard in the Autobot's voice mirrored his own, or it would; . . . as soon as he got over the shock.

"Have the C-ones seen these?" the soldier re-directed the topic, snapping out of his helpless –by-stander mind set and greedily latching on to his soldier-in-charge persona.

"Yes; although most were unable to sit through the first twenty minutes of the first video. No one was willing to watch the rest."

"I didn't either, but I needed to see for myself that you weren't lying.

"I understand… you have no reason to believe me or listen to a word I say, but I truly hope you will allow me to try and help.

"If Prime is willing, I would suggest he allow the C-ones to go with him to apprehend Carlisle; they need to make amends in their own minds to the girl for all her suffering. They would be a valuable asset to him given their familiarity with the compound and the personnel, not to mention the tactical plans of the units."

"I will offer your suggestion to Prowl; he is the Autobot SIC and chief tactician. He is the one most equipped to make a beneficial decision without bias."

"It's all I can ask.

"You know, I'd ask to go too if I still wasn't laid up . . . or made such a stupid mistake."

Jolt inclined his head toward the disgraced officer and left the room silently. He would make the suggestion to Prowl when he checked- in. After all, he might be a medic, but he was _still_ a soldier. He knew how dishonored and manipulated the C-ones probably felt; he would definitely feel obligated to make things right himself.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Th charcoal lit with a roar of flame.

Epps watched the portable grill for a few moments to make certain it wasn't going to catch something on fire. Satisfied that it would burn safely and thoroughly he turned and entered the cave.

He waved at Hot Rod and Bumblebee as he crossed the main entrance chamber toward the kitchen. The sound of Mike muttering to himself made him smile as the microwave carefully flipped the chicken in the marinade and returned it to the fridge.

"Hey Mike! Did you wash the potatoes yet?"

Mike looked up at the human and chittered excitedly before he pointed to a strainer holding three good-size tubers.

"Good. Now, you wanna learn how to make charcoal baked potatoes?"

The little 'bot chittered excitedly and hurried over to the tall human who had already earned his respect, and was fast becoming a _very_ good friend.

"Okay, so; three steps: first, wash the spuds, which you already did."

Epps ignored the questioning look the small mech gave him at the new term.

"Second, we need to poke some holes in it. I just use a fork and stab it on two sides." Epps grinned as he demonstrated.

The mechanical cook faithfully mimicked the man on the other two potatoes.

"Now, we wrap it in the aluminum foil, not _too_ tight, and we'll set them _in_ the coals when it stops flaming and the briquettes have started to turn white."

Grabbing his potato and the long handled, barbeque tongs, he led his now faithful companion back out to the grill, where the coals were just starting to whiten nicely.

"That's about what we want right there," he told his companion conversationally. "So, we're just gonna put them in the coals, just like this," he demonstrated, wriggling them into the burning lumps, "and let them cook for about an hour or so.

"Let's go back in and get the rest ready to bring out."

Mike chittered happily and followed the human back into the kitchen. He just hoped Ellie liked this kind of food . . . it was actually _healthy!_

VVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Ellie! Time for dinner!" Epps called through the girl's closed curtain.

"Okay, I'll be right there," she answered as she quickly jotted down some more notes on one of the many sheets of paper lying around her.

Looking around her once more, the idea of just leaving her work undone didn't sit well, so she grabbed a smaller tablet and pen before she rushed out to the dinner table. Maybe she'd be able to think up some more while she ate.

"So what did Mike make us today?" she asked of Epps as she approached the dinner table.

"Actually, he didn't make any of it. I made us a barbecue! Hope you don't mind."

Ellie stopped short and looked at the food sitting invitingly in the middle of the table. This didn't look like _any_thing she'd ever eaten before. The black things looked somewhat like chicken, but it looked like there was burnt skin all over them; the green beans she recognized, but she had never seen them with the little pink chunks in them, and what was that other green stuff? They looked like mini trees in the winter, and was that a potato? But, . . . he forgot to peel and cook it; it was still in its skin!

Unable to completely hide the look of utter trepidation on her face, she cautiously approached the table and sat down, noticeably hedging away from the unidentified vegetable.

"I know, this isn't quite what you're used to; but I promise, everything here, except for the asparagus, is something you've eaten, and _liked,_ before."

Ellie didn't look very convinced at all as she eyed him warily.

"Alright, I'll make a deal with you -"

"What kinda _deal_?" was the immediate, but cautious response.

"How about you try everything on the table, and I mean you take a bite and swallow it, and if you don't _like_ it, you don't have to eat it. If you decide there isn't anything here you like, then Mike can make you whatever you want.

"Deal?"

"How _big_ of a bite?"

"A fork-full. Alright? Do we have a deal or not?"

"Okay. I guess; _one_ bite and if I don't like it, then Mike is allowed to make me my macaroni and cheese with a ham steak and french fries."

"Alright. Deal!"

Instinctively, Ellie shook the other human's hand and sat down to "try" the food he had prepared. She pointedly ignored his pleased grin.

Once he taught her how to open the baked potato, she took timid bites of everything, deciding that the asparagus was, "okay," but not something that would make her all time favorite list, she proceeded to eat everything set on her plate, and then asked for seconds.

"She's asking for second servings? Of _vegetables_?" Ratchet asked in awe as he could no longer keep silent from his hiding spot in the med bay/lab.

"Everything but the asparagus," Epps agreed with a triumphant grin.

"So, what was all this for, anyway?" Ellie suddenly asked as she finished off her dessert.

"It was an anniversary dinner; one week ago today Ratchet saved your life.

"Happy anniversary kiddo," he finished with a smile.

"Shouldn't Ratchet get something too?" Ellie wondered aloud, considering the grumpy medic seriously.

"Oh, don't worry about me, Ellie. You survived, that was the best gift I could ever ask for. Although, seeing you eating those vegetables was a very close second, so , you have already given me something."

The child looked between the hummer and the human before a slow smile split her face.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"So . . . What do you think Carlisle'd do if he ever found out how often we leave early?" Dixie wondered aloud as the Phoenix team walked down the abandoned hall.

"As long as we get our work done on time, why should he care?" Dodd pointed out.

"Have you actually ever _talked_ with that sanctimonious, self-possessed ass?" Cespedes demanded in barely suppressed venom.

"No . . . that's what you're for," Dodd happily informed.

"Hey . . . I thought deconstruction left already," Dixie mused as she paused by the door leading into their lab.

"They did; why?" Cespedes wondered as he stopped for the petite woman standing on her toes to peer into the door window.

"I heard something in there and could've sworn I saw shadows moving."

The distinctive sound of metal clattering to the floor had the tech lead fumbling with his key card to open the door.

"What the _hell_?" Yonkers muttered as they all stood just inside the main entrance.

"What _are_ they?" Dixie wondered.

They all stood in transfixed shock as small, spider-shaped robots scurried around the various remains of the half-constructed NBE's.

"They are spidrobots an' scalpels," a disembodied voice informed them from the security speaker situated just inside the clean door.

"Who said that?" Cespedes demanded.

"I did.

"I am Maestro, and I ha' truly been hopin' fer a chance ta speak wi' ya."

"Why?" Cespedes wondered cautiously

"Perhaps, 'tis best ta _show_ ya the kinda bein' yer workin' fer," his ominous voice announced quietly as the small video screen flickered to life.

Honestly, Maestro was surprised that none of the people he had trapped in the lab's clean room had lost their stomach contents, although he thought they all looked rather ill.

"That . . . that . . . that . . . to a _baby!_" Dixie sputtered in open outrage.

"Aye, lass. His three year auld niece, at the time. She escaped when she 'as sev'n an' has been hidin' from 'im e'er since. I can assure ya, there are a number of other videos; includin' tha one where he _deliberately_ broke her back jus' so he could repair it."

"He . . . to a _**baby**_!" Dixie shouted again.

Yonkers couldn't hold back his stomach contents at the idea.

"We _have_ to stop that bastard," Dodd begged his leader .

"How can we help?" Cespedes decided with a firm set of his jaw.

"I was hopin' ya'd see it my way," Maestro answered as he unlocked the clean door.

"So, what's going on? What are they doing?" the tech leader immediately began to assess the needs for the new project his team had been handed.

"In three days' time," Maestro started, "the sparks, what ya would know as their 'power cores,' are goin' ta be re-integrated inta _hopefully_ repaired bodies. The scalpels an' spidrobots are attemptin' ta hurry tha process along tha' we ha' the current team startin'."

"You need us to help them with the repairs?" Dixie concluded. Instantly, she was striding determinedly over to the closest body and rolling up her shirt sleeves.

"Aye, lass, tha' . . . an to make the Phoenix . . . _vulnerable_."

Everyone stopped and stared at each other in stunned silence.

"They're going to attack," everyone said at the same time as they each looked at the others for confirmation.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

_ A three year old girl was strapped to an operating table in the center of the room. Various scalpels, saws, bolt cutters, and even a welding torch was positioned on a nearby table. A single solitary tear made its way down a cheek from the single eye on the right side of the girl's head. A whimper of fear escaped the girl's trembling lips as she turned her head. That was when Sarah saw the terror in that lone human eye. The mass of scar tissue on the left side of the face twisted as the girl's face contorted in obvious fright. That was when she heard it._

_ The same cold voice that had narrated each of the operations was now filled with something approaching joy as whoever the man was began speaking._

_ "Today we are going to completely remove the subject's skin and replace it with alloy plating. For this procedure the subject will have to remain conscious without any form of anesthesia. We estimate that this procedure will require approximately seventeen hours to complete."_

_ "Please… help me!"_

_ The girl was looking straight at her while whispering that desperate plea. Sarah tried to move closer so she could release the girl or at least do something, but to her utter dismay… she couldn't move._

_ Horror filled her mind when she realized that she couldn't move, she couldn't scream and she couldn't even look away._

_ Then, a strange shadowy figure moved next to the girl and picked up a rather small scalpel before laughing maniacally. Sarah Lennox felt her heart seize in her chest while the blood froze in her veins because that laughing voice was the same one who had been speaking._

The wordless cry of denial echoed off the walls of the bedroom as Sarah Lennox bolted upright in her bed. She could feel her hair sticking to her neck and shoulders because of the thick sheen of sweat that drenched her body and the sheets of her bed. She ignored all of that and even the tears that ran freely down her face as she kept seeing that poor helpless child in front of her.

"Sarah?" Will was instantly alert at his wife's terror filled scream.  
>Honey? What was it?"<p>

She struggled to get control of her rapid and ragged breathing while listening for her own children to wake up from the noise she had made. It was only a slight relief that the children still slept soundly in the room across the hall. Eagerly, she latched on to her husband in her desperation.

"A nightmare," she whispered desperately. "It was a nightmare," as she tried to calm herself.

No matter how many times she tried to reassure herself, the vision of that poor child would not fade from her mind's eye. Suddenly, she knew what she had to do.

"I have to _see_ her Will. I have to see with my own two eyes that she's okay . . . that she's not being hurt. That she's not suffering."

"When Optimus calls, I'll try to arrange it, but I do have to warn you; he and the rest of the Autobots are extremely protective of her. They won't even tell _me_ where she's at, only that she's alright and recovered from the corrective surgery."

"Please!" she whispered desperately as she clung to her husband's reclining form.

"I'll try. Now come on… you need to get some sleep," he whispered gently, soothing his agitated wife back into a troubled slumber.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Ellie sat on her small bed and stared at the papers strewn around her. Each and every one had all of the details of her plan to get into her uncle's compound and restore her matrices. And then, there were the "what if" plans.

She held in her hand a legal pad full of every contingency question she could think of; from Barricade's forces not showing up, to their teams not being able to enter the facility, to the spidrobots and scalpels not being able to complete the repairs, to the scientists getting orders to tear the bodies apart again and many more. For each question she had listed on her pad, she had carefully crafted a corresponding plan, which usually resulted in a series of other worrisome questions she found herself planning for. By the time she was finished, she had over thirty-seven thousand plans. Still, she was afraid it wasn't enough. What if something happened that she _hadn't _planned for? That was her current biggest fear.

"Urielle?" Optimus called to her from the corridor. "It is time to leave.

"Do you need help with your gear?"

"No, I can get it. I'll meet you out in the greeting chamber in three minutes," she answered quickly as she began to hurriedly gather up her plans. She just couldn't leave them behind.

"Very well. I will await you there," he agreed as his pedefalls could be heard moving away from her bedroom.

It took Ellie 45 seconds to gather up the papers she had been staring at and another 50 to get her gear and take a quick look around her room. Satisfied that she had everything she would need, she turned around and left. Once out into the workroom, Mike snagged her arm and forced a breakfast burrito into her hand.

"Ellie eat!" he ordered as he refused to let her go until she had taken a bite of his creation.

"Delicious as ever," she told him with a smile before she kissed him on the top of the head and went into the greeting chamber.

"Hmm, adequate nutrition," Ratchet greeted when he saw her enter the room. "Given your age, you do require the extra fats and calories to help sustain healthy energy levels. However, you shouldn't eat and run; it is bad for the digestion, not to mention you could very well trip, fall and cause yourself to choke."

Ellie obediently stood off to the side and dutifully ate her breakfast, not even bothering to respond to the medic.

Nodding at her apparent cooperation, the hummer turned back to finish his final once overs for the mission. He was making doubly sure they had all of the correct sparks they were going to be re-integrating. He didn't notice the holo-preserver shaped mass secured among his young human patient's belongings.

When everyone came back with an affirmative on their respective assignments, Ellie heaved a sigh of relief she didn't realize she had been holding.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Brigadier General Lennox blinked and looked around the desk he sat behind since 2008 as the head of N.E.S.T. All but a handful of his personal belongings were packed and sitting in boxes by the door, just waiting for him to call the movers to take them to his new Pentagon office, as they had been for weeks now. This was supposed to have been his last week; the change of command ceremony was supposed to have been concluded two hours ago, but the piles of paperwork still present on his desk proved otherwise.

Because of Major Ellison's betrayal, the higher-ups had to scramble to find someone else to take over the position; which meant he wasn't going anywhere for at least another couple weeks. Huffing out an exhausted breath, he leaned back in his chair and perused yet another personnel file of one of the candidates for his position. This one was a by-the-rules lieutenant colonel who had a higher-than-average rate of filing court martials and reprimands. He tossed the file into the "discard" pile and picked up the next one, trying to rub some sleep from his eyes; his wife had been waking them both up with nightmares almost nightly and it was really starting to wear on him.

The sudden ringing of his phone startled him and he struggled to keep from tipping over in his chair.

"Lennox!" he barked rather breathlessly into the phone.

"General Lennox," the smooth baritone of Optimus Prime filled the line. "I did not interrupt you?"

"No, I just wasn't expecting the phone to ring and almost tipped over in my chair," he admitted distractedly as he tried to release himself from the sticky notes that somehow attached themselves to his sleeve.

"Is everything okay? How's Ellie?" he quickly asked as he forgot the "Hello Kitty" note still stuck to his shoulder.

"She is well. Her therapy is going along smoothly and both Ratchet and her own medic have decreed her to be released from most of their restrictions.

"I do, however, need to ask something of you."

"What?" Lennox asked cautiously.

Optimus was strangely silent on his end of the connection. The only sound an odd static-y noise.

"Hey Boss Bot? You still there?" the human asked with a frown as he looked at the phone in confusion.

"Yes, yes the connection is still established. What I require from you is of a personal nature."

"What kind of 'personal nature'?" the man asked in growing dread. After all, even after all of the years they had worked together, Lennox knew there were still things the giant alien robots didn't share with humans, no matter _how_ much they trusted them.

"I require the professional services of a human. You call them 'lawyers,' I believe?"

The general looked again at the phone, dumbstruck. "Okay," he drawled out in obvious confusion, "and what, exactly, do you need a lawyer for? Finally gonna sue the government?" he half joked.

"That appears to be how your system is set up."

Lennox gaped at thin air in surprise before he turned his attention back to the still speaking alien leader.

"Is it not, essentially, how one goes about requesting to fulfill the role of a parental unit to one of your human sparklings?"

"Wait, so, lemme get this straight; you want to _adopt_ Ellie?"

"Yes. I wish to be recognized as her creator figure by the human legal systems.

"Can you help me in this matter?"

Lennox visibly deflated from relief and dropped his head on his desk with a muted "thud."

"General Lennox?"

"You know, I don't think you have ever used the terms 'me' or 'I' so much in a single conversation since we've known each other," he answered with his head still on the desk.

"That will require a family lawyer," he informed as he lifted his head, not noticing the new "Eeyore" sticky note attached to his hair. "One of the guys I served with in Qatar joined the J.A.G. shortly before that helicopter guy attacked us. Let me talk to him and see if he can give us a name of someone who'd be willing to at least listen to your case. However, _you_ will have to be the one to talk to them."

"I understand.

"We will have concluded our business with Urielle's current _custodian_," Optimus spat the term with the most disgust the human had ever heard, "shortly. You will be able to contact us as needed for the next several days, and General Lennox?"

"Yeah Optimus?"

"Thank you. You do not know how much this means to me."

"I'm a father myself you know, OP, of _course_ I do," the human confirmed with a warm smile.

"Oh! One more thing before you go," he stopped the Autobot leader just before the line went dead.

"Yes?" 

"It's my wife, Sarah. She's been having some _serious_ nightmares about Ellie. Would you be willing to allow them to meet when this is all over?"

"I do not know. I will process your request and let you know when we are done."

"That's all I can ask.

"And would you mind telling Epps that he might want to develop a taste for 'gator."

"'Gator'?"

"He'll know what it means."

"Very well. 'Til all are one," the Prime ended the call with a quiet 'click'.

Sighing as he hung up the phone, he turned to his computer to type up an email to send off to his old Qatar buddy. Just as he began to type the main body to the email, his door burst open with a loud "bang" that had him instantly ducking and reaching for his weapon.

"General Lennox!" a solidly built man in military fatigues with a single blue bar adorning his collar called out as he stood just inside the door.

"Just what the hell was _that_ Lieutenant?!" Lennox demanded, still pointing his weapon at the newcomer. He had never seen the guy in his life.

"Sorry sir," the man said contritely just as the guards he had obviously eluded began to appear behind him in the doorway. "But I needed to speak with you in regards to the command position."

"And you thought that breaking into my office was the best way to do that?" Lennox asked incredulously. Looking down at the newcomer's name plate, he smirked as he put his weapon away.

"No sir, but it was the only way I could make sure you'd see me."

"It's okay Ted," Lennox called out to the ranking guard standing in the doorway. "I'll hear him."

"Yes sir. We'll be right outside if you need us," the guard informed with narrowed eyes as he signaled his men to fall back.

"So, what did you want to say that wasn't in your personnel file?" Lennox asked as he picked up the only file he had separated out as a "maybe," so far.

He saw the junior officer stand up straighter and set his jaw in determination. The general liked the guy already; he knew he was looking at his replacement.

"Better yet," Will interrupted the eager officer before he could start, "how about you 'show' me why you're the best officer for the command of NEST, and can interact with giant alien Cybertronians without getting yourself or your men killed."

"What did you have in mind, sir?"

If he had known the general better, he would have been very nervous about the devilish grin gracing his features.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

The last of the scientists left for the night, plunging the lab into darkness as they turned off the lights. The eerie glow of the security lights the only source of illumination. Suddenly, at Maestro's silent comm, the sound of metal sliding against metal could be heard throughout the lab and pale red and bright blue optics added to the lighting.

En-mass, the spidrobots and scalpels began to scurry along whichever surfaces they had been placed on; rushing to check over the work of the humans and further it along as much as possible without being obvious. For a week now, they had been moving like this; stealthily rebuilding their fallen comrades' bodies right under Dr. Carlisle's minions' noses. For the most part, they didn't have too much to correct, other than leaky welds or an occasional part misalignment. These scientists actually _tried_ to put them back together in the same manner they had dismantled them initially. It made for less strenuous work for the small repair drones.

Quietly, they communicated in small, direct line-of-site data-bursts to each other as they examined the work the scientists had done the past day and a brief announcement that their secret help would not be available this night. As was typical, most of the work was of adequate quality, for humans anyway. What was even better for their purposes; they were a matter of hours away from the complete rebuild of all of the bodies! Happily, Webster sent the discovery to Maestro to be forwarded on to Optimus Prime and the others. Within a matter of moments, he received the notification via the assimilation drone: the action would happen tomorrow night.

The spidrobot warbled in his surprise before he sent out the data-burst. After the initial pause of the others as they all received the download, they began to scurry frantically around their assigned bodies. As carefully as they could, they began the tedious task of correcting the mistakes of the humans and adding just enough to their work to reduce the amount of mistakes they would make the next day. Webster took the notes of the repairs and added them to the humans' records, careful to match the phrasing with the person who had last added to the records. It was the best way they had come up with to make certain their work would not be discovered by the humans, and dismantled.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Dr. Alistair Carlisle limped noticeably toward the lower levels of the base where his Lazarus project was located. Since Alicia's betrayal, he had been hard pressed to keep up-to-date on all of the projects' progresses and set-backs, unless it became necessary for his direct intervention. Those times were, unfortunately, far too frequent for his liking.

"Ericson," he greeted the lead scientist who met him at the elevator, "what is this newest problem?"

"D-Dr. Carlisle!" the woman stuttered in surprise at seeing the elusive head scientist. "Where's Dr. Elgin?"

"No longer employed," was his sharp answer. "Now, what problem has arisen that demanded my immediate attention?"

"Well, it's just that the fuel source we've developed for the Lazari isn't quite as reliable as we initially thought; it keeps destabilizing when it comes into contact with the original fuel residue already inside the lines. We even tried replacing all of the lines with fresh, human produced tubing, but it still isn't enough; there's still residue from the machinery itself. And we cannot manufacture the contaminated pieces."

"Does the interface work with the original fuel source?"

"Yes, it does. But we simply do not have the quantity of the original fuel to be viable for all of the animations. We would need to have over three-hundred gallons of it for each run of each Lazarus."

"We have plenty of the fuel at the Alpha base; prepare to move the project and all associated personnel there immediately. Be completely moved in sixteen hours."

"Move? Sixteen _hours_? Seriously?"

"I am not known for my humor, Dr. Ericson; by moving you into the Alpha base, you will no longer have to wait for me to get back with you when you have an issue and you will have access to all of the fuel that you need.

"I suggest that you inform all of the affected personnel about their impending relocation," he told the surprised scientist as he turned back to the elevator in obvious dismissal.

_**A/N2:**__ At the moment, the Epilogue is completely written, most of the final scene of this next chapter is done, so __I__ really only need to write the beginning and middle for the next part. This chapter does have my POV breaks in it, so let me know if has decided to eat them again. As always, let me know what __I__ did right or could do better. And Thank you for reading my little story. Tracy_


	53. Chapter Fifty one

_**A/N:** I'm back! So, this was **supposed** to have been the last chapter before the Epilogue wrapped everything up, but it was just waaaaay too long and was taking way too long to update. So, I've decided to break it in two and get this one out for you. As always, let me know what I did right and what I did wrong, and as always, big thank you to Khalthar for beta'ing for me. Tracy_

_KEY:_

"_Text," face-to-face conversation._

_{"Text,"} comm talk._

_["Text,"] speaking to someone through a comm link, i.e. a passenger in one of the Transformers alt's talking to someone through their 'ride's comm._

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE:

Skywarp held the holo-preserver in his right hand as the holo image of his trine leader and the Air Commander surveyed the Decepticons assembled. Starscream had returned from a flight just minutes before; the seeker wanted to ensure clear processors for what he was about to say. Skywarp could see different emotions written in the body language of the mechs assembled as he looked around at those present. He could see anger, eagerness, excitement, and in one particular case, what he could swear was resentment.

"This battle will not be like any we have fought before…" Starscream began gravely as he looked around.

"In this battle, we will be fighting to recover the frames of myself and others of our fellow Decepticons. In this battle… we will actually be _assisted_ by the Autobots. They too will be fighting to recover the frames of their brethren so that the spark might be restored"

Starscream looked at the Decepticons in front of him and saw only one who didn't appear as enthusiastic as the others. As a scientist, the Second in Command of the Decepticons and as the Air Commander of Cybertron, he was no fool of a sparkling. He knew that Barricade had been plotting something; exactly what, he was unsure of yet, but time would reveal those plans . . . and if they turned out to be a hindrance in any way, _then_ the mech would be dealt with.

"There is also the fact… as disgusting as you may consider it to be… that we will _also_ be assisted by _**humans**_! They will be fighting against those who have stolen the frames of our comrades, and fellow Cybertronians. They will also be protecting one human femmeling who is the one responsible for saving many of us from the pits of the Matrix. She is no longer completely organic, and will actually resonate with Lord _Megatron's_ energy signature!"

"What? How is that possible?" Knockout demanded in angry disbelief.

"It is possible, because she was upgraded with components taken from Lord Megatron's own frame while he was a frozen prisoner of the humans. She was _not_ a willing or consenting subject to receive those upgrades either. She has suffered greatly and it was through Megatron's orders that she was able to escape their control. Lord Megatron has _wisely_ issued orders that she is to be provided Decepticon protection during this battle. Remember; it is because of her knowledge and skills that many of us have survived the near destruction of our frames.

Knockout gaped at the holographic image of Starscream in astonishment. For once, the SIC had referred to Megatron, and even _spoken_ about the Decepticon Leader without any form of sarcasm or even mild disrespect. Everything about the SIC was completely serious and earnest. It was this total _sincerity_ from Starscream that captured his whole attention.

"What do you mean by _femmeling_? Are you talking about a human _sparkling?_" Road Rage demanded angrily as she glared at the hologram.

"Yes I am. Ellie is a human sparkling who even now has yet to reach the age of adulthood in human years and she is responsible for saving several of our fellows. It was she who enabled me to survive the destruction of my frame. It is her knowledge and expertise that _must_ be protected!" Starscream answered.

"And just who will _that_ assignment go to?" Astrotrain demanded sourly as the rather large mech finally said something.

"That position will be given to Road Rage. Being a ground based frame, she won't need to be concerned about any aerial missile fire should the human femmeling need to be evacuated. Her alt. mode is one of the fastest available, and we _all_ know that she is more than deadly in close quarters," Starscream answered smoothly with a hint of smugness.

Road Rage studied the Air Commander's holographic image suspiciously. While she knew that she wasn't good for anything except fighting; she _had_ spent her entire life prior to the war in the Arena's of Cybertron after all, she also _knew_ that Seekers had a strong hatred of 'grounders' as they called them. Just then, the holographic Seeker turned his attention to her.

"Road Rage… you are known to be among the _best_ close quarters fighters in existence. You are to protect that human femmeling at _all costs_! If you are offlined, she _will_ bring you back. She has already done so for several of our number… including Lord Megatron himself. You will not be alone in your fight, because there are likely to be a large number of humans who will also try to protect her, and that doesn't count the Autobots who _will_ provide her with a Guardian!"

Starscream paused to look around and make sure that he had everyone's attention.

"Make no mistake. The faction of humans that we will be fighting _will_ be trying to capture her! As I understand it, she has been forced to hide from them since she escaped at the same time as Megatron. Failing a live capture, they might try to kill her, and we _won't_ allow that to happen. Lord Megatron has earned her trust… and you can be certain that it is for a _very_ good reason," Starscream said seriously.

Road Rage knew then that she was being handed an extremely important mission during the up coming battle. Not only would she need to watch the humans in case one of them turned traitor in the midst of battle, but she'd have to watch out for the Autobots as well.

"I will not fail. The human sparkling called Ellie will be protected."

"Good. Now that this last detail is taken care of, we need to go meet up with the Autobots."

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"I can't believe I ate that," Ellie muttered in disgusted and angry shock.

"Did you _know_ what was in there?" she demanded of the semi as they drove down the pre-dawn freeway.

"Not until after you had eaten it," Optimus confessed innocently, not even trying to hide his amusement.

"It was _cottage cheese_!" Ellie exclaimed in a near shriek "Have you ever seen that stuff? It's even more gross than rice," she continued with total revulsion in her tone.

The Prime allowed her to continue to rant her frustration, chuckling silently to himself at her imagined slight.

"I mean , really? I even went back for thirds of it…what was I thinking? Just the thought of eating it again . . .

"Hey Optimus? Can you open the window?"

"No, Urielle, I will not open my window so you can throw perfectly adequate fuel out."

He had caught the sudden notion of her intent from his constant connection to her implants. Distractedly, he realized it was not a common occurrence to remain so acutely connected with another and briefly considered asking Ratchet about it.

"Why is the idea of that single ingredient so distressing to you?" he directed at her instead, flagging the thought for future consideration.

He noted how quiet and still his small passenger suddenly became and grew concerned.

"Urielle? What is wrong?"

The image of a substance that looked like the dreaded cottage cheese surrounded by sterile sheets instantly entered his processors, along with an impression of a horrid taste, horrible texture and crippling pain. He knew, then, that her custodian had used the fuel source to progress his torture of the girl.

"Oh, Urielle. I was unaware of your negative association with the 'cottage cheese.' I will have Hot Rod inform Epps; at the next rest stop, he will need to remove it. He may have it for his own consumption, if he wishes."

In a very small, frightened voice, Ellie addressed the Prime, "I don't have to eat anything with _that_ in it again . . . do I?"

"Now that I am aware of what connotations the substance holds for you, you will not be forced to consume it. It will still be asked that you _try_ some items that may have it as an ingredient. In those instances, we will ask that you never be informed of its presence. Is that acceptable?"

A frustrated sigh met his audials.

"I guess…" Ellie agreed reluctantly. "It actually was really good . . . until I found out what was in it. I think it was the _idea_ that made me sick."

"You were ill?" Immediately, he comm'd Ratchet in concern.

"I just sort of had a queasy feeling in my stomach, like if I ate it, I would be."

{"Ate what?"} the medic comm'd back as he listened in.

Optimus sent a data burst of the previous twenty minutes' discovery, including the data dump of her memory file.

{"It is a psycho-somatic reaction. There is not really anything I can do for her, except to possibly give her anti-nausea medications if she reacts. We will just have to build up positive associations in the future to neutralize the negative ones of the past.

{"I can guarantee this will be the first of many we will discover in the future."}

Prime acknowledged as he cut the com and sent a text back to the lair. He knew that Mike would be upset about the knowledge, but it was better to learn now rather than after the self appointed chef set his spark on making more, only to have it soundly rejected.

"What are you doing?" he addressed his small passenger curiously as she scribbled furiously in a notebook.

"Thought of another one," she told him distractedly as she continued to write.

"Another one of what?"

"What if."

He waited for her to finish for several minutes. Finally, when she stopped writing and stared at the notes with a scowl, he continued.

"'What if,' what?"

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, I just have been trying to come up with plans for every 'What if' scenario I could think of."

"How many contingency plans have you allowed for?"

"Um . . . fully detailed plans or the list?"

Optimus mentally quirked an optic ridge as he comm'd Prowl and data burst the new conversation as he addressed the girl. "Both."

"I have thought of six hundred ninety-nine thousand, eight hundred forty-two possible scenarios. Of those, I've been able to create detailed, alternate plans for thirty-eight thousand, nine-hundred ninety-eight. But those are just the most likely scenarios; figured I'd drive myself nuts if I tried to figure them all out."

Optimus was stunned. In amazement he turned his attention to Prowl. {"Could there really be that many?"}

{"When you only allow for the negative probabilities; she has only missed twenty-seven possible scenarios.

{"Perhaps I should speak with her?"}

"Urielle?"

"Huh?"

"Prowl is my tactician. I informed him of your endeavor and he would like to speak with you about your plans."

"Sure! I can use all the help I can get."

["Ellie? It is Prowl. I understand you were able to detail thirty-eight thousand, nine hundred ninety-eight plans out of six hundred ninety-eight thousand, eight hundred forty-two possible scenarios. I would be interested in your ideas."]

"Really? You ain't just messin' with me, are you?"

["Aren't,"] the police cruiser corrected automatically, ["but yes; I am truly interested in your ideas.

["What is your first scenario?"]

"Well, I haven't bothered to worry about the thirty other scenarios dealing with the trip to his compound," she started, pulling reams of papers out of her bag, "but starting with what I thought was the first most likely scenario;

"Barricade and his forces don't show up."

["What did you plan for that eventuality?"] Prowl asked curiously when he realized that Ellie had discarded three more possibilities than he had even considered.

_ 'With some actual training rather than simply a strong desire to be successful in this endeavor, Ellie could prove to be an excellent tactician and strategist. She possesses the raw skill . . . but is the desire also there or is this simply another facet of her determination to protect Cybertronians? I will need to speak with her at a later time.'_ Prowl mused while listening to the girl's response.

Optimus listened to his small passenger discuss her plans with his tactical officer in amazement. The next time he would notice his chronometer, the pair had been talking for eight consecutive hours.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Master Gunnery Sergeant David Young looked out at the members of his team with a very grim expression as he prepared to address them. "Okay, we've all seen the evidence of exactly who and _what_ 'Maimed Angel' really is. Since this whole thing was actually Airman Austin's idea, I'm going to let her deliver our mission briefing and parameters."

Leslie assumed a position in front of the group as the Gunnery Sergeant resumed his seat. She took a deep breath as she tried to control several emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. "Okay people . . . we all know that we've been lied to, manipulated, used, implanted with explosives and even _brainwashed_ by the son of a bitch that we worked for! Like you, I thought that Carlisle was on our side. That was _never_ the case! From the very beginning, we've been nothing more than a way for him to get his hands on his niece again. Without exception we have been restored to full bodily health. The thing is, Carlisle did it by _experimenting_ on his own _**niece**_! Without her, none of us would be in the condition we're in now."

Leslie took another deep breath as she tried to calm her nerves. She knew that she didn't have the rank for this, but then no Soldier of the American military had been treated in such an underhanded way before. She and her fellow team members had taken an oath when they first joined their respective military branches . . . an oath to protect the citizens of the United States from _all_ enemies, both foreign _and_ domestic!

"Each of us joined the Military to protect the people of the US . . . to defend the innocent . . . to protect those who couldn't defend themselves. Now we've been shown that we've been _tricked_ into doing the exact opposite. What I can tell you right now is that our predecessor . . . the very _reason_ that we are in fighting condition, is going to be involved in this upcoming battle. We've actually been given a chance to prove our sincerity, our worth and our honor. By every law that's ever been written, we don't deserve this chance, but we still have it. I can't say that this is going to be easy for us, because God knows that those we'll be working with have no reason to trust us. We know the facility, we know layout and we know what forces can be deployed against us. I know from talking with each of you that everyone feels the same way I do. I'd rather be dead than let that bastard get away with what he's done. That little girl is someone that we were supposed to _protect_ from things like this. In that regard . . . we failed . . . _miserably_ . . . but we have a shot at helping to make sure that he pays for what he did to her. It's time to show that we were serious when we signed up. It's time to live up to the oath we took and see that justice is served! Let's make it happen people."

"Dis-_missed_!" Gunny Young finished in a bellow. He had to admit that Leslie had made some _very_ valid points, and he knew that he probably couldn't have made those points any better.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

General Lennox stood at the door of the small briefing room where the See-Ones had gathered. He'd heard every word that was said, and he could see them getting ready with a grim determination. His eyes narrowed in concentration as he watched them, because something about the way they acted wasn't right. Suddenly, he understood what was bothering him about the team's actions. Every last one of them were ready and willing to die in the upcoming battle! Not one of them believed that they would survive. He stepped into the room and allowed his presence to be known by clearing his throat.

"Look… I can understand how you feel."

"With all due respect Sir . . . no you can't. You have _no_ _idea_ how we feel! I'm able to walk again. Do you _really_ think I can live with myself knowing, _knowing_ that some little kid was _tortured_ and put through absolute hell just so her psychopath of an uncle could walk again? Yeah, we know all about Carlisle. When we were first recruited, he told each one of us how he was paralyzed by getting stabbed in the back in the middle of getting extracted, and that his research on a critically injured soldier is what enabled him to walk again. _Now_, we've learned that it wasn't some soldier that was worked on, but his _own __**niece**_, and that it was completely against her will. If it wasn't for that girl, I'd be in a wheelchair right now. No matter what you think General, we _owe_ it to that kid to make sure he never gets his hands on her again," Gunny Young stated angrily.

"I can fully understand that sentiment soldier, but this _isn't_ a one way trip! I'm not sending _anyone_ out on a suicide mission. Is that clear?" General Lennox demanded firmly.

"I said…_is that clear_?"

"Yes Sir . . . it is, but if it comes down to me or her buying a farm, she'll be the one to walk away from this."

"Now _that_ is an attitude I can respect, Soldier.

"This isn't a one way trip, and I don't want anyone turning it into one. The fact is, you'll be going up against other soldiers just like you, who were _also_ lied to, manipulated and brainwashed into believing that _they_ are doing the right thing. They don't deserve to die for this, anymore than you do because they don't know the truth of the situation! We've got a few things that will help to minimize casualties on _both sides_ . . . and that is why we are allowing you to help us. I want this fight to be as bloodless as possible. Given the nature of the enemy leadership, that isn't going to be as easy as it sounds. Regardless of what you might think, or how you might feel that _we_ think of you, the fact is; your team of See-Ones will be _critical_ to this mission! Yes, we can accomplish the goal without you, but that will mean killing a _lot_ of innocent troops whose only mistake was to accept the chance to be made whole again. They don't deserve that! Not from Carlisle, and not from us . . . and they won't be getting that if I can help it. _That_ is why we accepted your offer, because those men and women we'll be facing off against went through the same kind of indoctrination that you did, they just don't know about it," Lennox stated firmly as he looked the Gunnery Sergeant in the eyes.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Master Gunnery Sergeant David Young looked the General in the eyes to gauge the man's sincerity. It only took him a couple of seconds to see that the man in front of him truly meant every last word.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"One last thing . . . do _not_ engage at close quarters," Lennox said firmly before getting confused looks from the C-1 team. "Carlisle put explosives in every one of the implants to make sure that no one could ever leave his control. We've disabled yours. Just don't try to be heroes, it can get you killed, and I don't want that to happen."

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Alright everyone! I know that there is going to be some friction with this assignment," General Lennox addressed his men with a hard stare, "but that is unavoidable. This is going to be a joint mission between N.E.S.T. and the see-ones; they know the compound layout, rotations and guard positions better than anyone. They will take point on the human side of this mission in support of the Autobots . . . and 'Cons."

Will paused a moment to let the words sink in. Despite the expected and warranted unease of his troops, they maintained their military discipline and an uneasy, sullen silence.

"Furthermore, I will not be joining you on this mission. Your see-oh will be First Lieutenant Fowler here. Let's consider this his interview.

"Lieutenant Fowler, the briefing is yours."

"People!" the new CO started with a heavy gulp. He had just finished forcing himself to sit through the last of the videos showcasing the torture of that little baby and was still quite nauseated.

"I take it that you all have seen at least some of those 'Maimed Angel' videos?"

The immediate blanching of every face before him confirmed his suspicion.

"Well that is why we are going on this mission; to apprehend the monster who did that to her.

"The Autobots and Decepticons have both agreed to put aside their differences long enough to help with this. The least we can do is put ours aside to give this little girl some _much_ deserved justice."

"Any questions before we get into the nuts and bolts?"

"Sir! What's in it for the 'Cons?" a troop toward the back asked.

1LT Fowler took a moment to size up the man. Finally, after reading his name tag, he answered. "Spalding is it?"

"Yes sir!"

"According to Optimus Prime, this Carlisle guy is hoarding the bodies of their fallen comrades. They have agreed to help us in exchange for the return of their dead."

"Is that really all they want?" a troop in the front row questioned.

"Fletcher?"

The troop nodded sharply.

"That's what the Prime said. Their true motivations, I'm sure, are far less noble. But, he is willing to accept the probable betrayal, so we are going to do our best to support him."

"There's gotta be somethin' more than that they're after," another troop muttered behind Fletcher.

"Hawkins?" the L.T. identified.

The troop looked up sharply. "Sir?"

"There probably is. But as I already said; we will do our best to support Optimus Prime. I also consider our definition of support to watch his back, even from his so-called allies.

"We'll help him catch this creep, and also keep an eye on what the 'Cons are really after. Maybe if we can figure it out, we can predict their next offensive.

"Anything else?"

No one else said anything.

"Then let's gear-up! Full details in the air."

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

The Decepticons were already waiting at the rendezvous point by the time Optimus and the Autobots, with Ellie in tow, arrived.

"Prime," Barricade addressed with a sneer.

"Prime," Starscream parroted with a small degree of actual civility, "femme-ling! I see you are functional once more."

Ellie smiled in greeting before she froze and stared for a long moment at the large Seeker holding the dis-embodied Air Commander.

"I'm sorry," she started hesitantly, addressing the blue jet, "but do I know you? You feel familiar somehow."

"Uh, I, uh, I'm Thundercracker," he stuttered uncharacteristically. "We've never met, that I know of, but I really wanted to say that I love y- . . . what you did for my trine mate," he hastily corrected himself, as he seemed to come back to the present.

"Nice to meet you and you're welcome," she replied politely as she climbed into Skywarp's offered hand and rubbed at her birthmark distractedly. She did not notice the sudden flaring of Bumblebee's doorwings in a clear threat display, Sunstreaker's subtle shifting into a more protective and potentially offensive stance or Optimus' sudden assessing look as he sized up the Seeker with a critical optic.

"Thank you for the concern," she addressed the Air Commander instead. "I'm fine, but how are you? Are you getting enough flight time? How are the batteries for the plane? Still have enough to last 'til we get you back in your real body?"

"I am quite well, thank you for asking," Starscream replied surprisingly pleasant. "There are still enough batteries to last me at least another three and a half Earth days, not that I plan to need it that long."

Barricade made an electronic sound; the Cybertronian equivalent of clearing his throat, to get the attention away from the pleasantries and onto the subject.

"Barricade? Is this the 'insect' that helped you out?" Lugnut asked curiously as he squatted down to get a better view of the organic in the black and purple Seeker's hand.

"Yes," the shock troop reluctantly agreed with a disgruntled vent.

"Hey little thing! I'm Lugnut," he introduced himself as he poked a curious finger at her. "Thank you for helping Barricade when he was stuck. He's my best friend and I don't know _what_ I would've done if he offlined."

"You're welcome Lugnut. I'm Ellie and it's nice to meet you."

"I like you, Ellie; you're nice."

Ellie smiled as she discreetly deposited a holo-preserver into Skywarp's waiting sub space and turned to a couple of the other members of the Decepticons' party. "Are you the medics that will be helping out with the re-integration?"

"Some of them.

Astrotrain doesn't say much, but if we need to get out fast, he's big enough to carry all of the ground forces," he motioned to the titan behind them. "The red and black bot in front of you is Road Rage; she'll be acting as a body guard for you if things get a little… _rough_." Starscream interjected quickly while giving Optimus a subtle nod.

"Now… if the medics will introduce themselves…" Starscream added firmly.

"Of course," the flashy red mech informed with an air of superiority. "I am Knockout; chief medic of the Decepticons. This is my assistant, Hook, and the other one is a field medic," he waved vaguely in an obviously dismissive gesture.

When it became apparent that he wasn't even going to bother introducing the last member of the entourage, the obviously much younger mech introduced himself; "I'm Groundhog. I'm an engineer by function, but I've been acting as my unit's field medic."

"I wouldn't worry about Knockout's slight," Ellie counseled the unsure mech, "At his obvious age, the memory is the first to go; he probably just _forgot_ your name."

For a full sparkbeat, there was no sound. Then suddenly, the sound of electronic laughter rang from the walls of the abandoned warehouse as the insulted mech spluttered incoherently in his rage.

"So, are we expecting any more?" Barricade turned toward Optimus as he continued to chuckle at the vain medic's continued ranting.

"Yes. The humans will meet us at the staging point. They are intimately familiar with the compound and its layout."

Road Rage had remained silent as she observed the human sparkling that she would be protecting. She was thoroughly surprised at just how _polite_ and _civil_ the Air Commander was towards this particular human. That didn't even count the fact that he seemed to be acting _pleasantly_ towards her. Barricade, on the other hand, didn't seem very pleased with this situation at all. She wasn't at all sure about the shock trooper's motives behind his obvious attitude, but that wouldn't stop her from following her orders to protect this human against _all_ potential attackers!

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Amadeus Cespedes stood up from the large robotic frame in front of him and rubbed his eyes. Between messing with the fuel tank sensors in the Phoenix battle armor, shorting out the weapons' charge reservoir and trying to make sure that each of these robot bodies were properly assembled, he and his team hadn't been getting a lot of sleep lately.

"You know this is 'sposed to be the day, right?" he asked of the room in general.

"If you mean 'D-Day', then yeah… I know," Jimmy Dodd answered sourly. "I'm still not sure if that little stunt we pulled on the Phoenix is going to work or not."

"Hey! It's going to work out fine!" Dixie protested, "Setting that fuel sensor to read a full tank instead of the five minutes of fuel it really has, was pure genius if I do say so myself."

"Either way… it'll all be over with in a few hours . . . so come on people, let's get these things ready to rock," Cespedes said determinedly.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Two-ten shot an apprehensive glance at her fellow 'Deadeyes'. She knew that this particular OP could go south _very_ easily. Not only were they behind enemy lines, but they were actually _inside_ the enemy stronghold. Everyone already knew what they had to do, and they had been sneaking ammo and weapons into their barracks, over the last several days. They would actually be able to load out with more weapons and ammo than on one of their standard combat missions. Still . . . this wasn't going to be easy at all. Once they engaged, it would immediately become clear to every one else that they had 'turned traitor' to Dr. Carlisle. If they couldn't get to the attacking forces, or were somehow cut off, they would be killed with absolute prejudice. _No_ one liked traitors . . . whether they were in the right or not.

Fig smiled grimly as he cleaned his AR-14. Careful observation had shown him and the rest of the team that the Vulcans were vulnerable to loud noises. That was why he'd attached a grenade launcher to his assault rifle and planed to load it out with nothing but flash-bangs. The flash of light wouldn't be too much of a hindrance to his team members, but he hoped that the noise would at least pose a problem for the Vulcans. As for the other teams, if they chose to fight, then he'd show them exactly _why_ he was a member of the Special Forces.

"Ya might want ta get ready for action. Tha Autobots are closin' in from tha nor. They'll be here soon," Maestro informed them quietly.

"Is there any place where we can secure the rest of the ammo, so no one else can get to it?" Two-ten asked quickly.

"Aye . . . there's a wee storage closet that I can lock tha others out of if ye need it."

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Decepticons! Attack!" Barricade ordered as his troops approached from the east.

"Quick! Get the Energon before the Auto-dolts show up," Astrotrain directed in a _very_ loud bellow as he ripped a section of the outer wall down with his bare hands. It was a part of the plan to make the compound think they were too low on Energon to risk firing their weapons.

"Too late!" Lugnut roared as he pointed to the north of the compound. The outline of a large semi and several other vehicles could be seen kicking up a spray of water and mud as they sped toward the opposing factions.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"We are almost to the compound," Optimus informed the convoy surrounding him. "As soon as Maestro gives us the word that all units are engaged and the way is clear, Skywarp will teleport the re-integration detail to the lab coordinates.

["Is there anything else we need to be aware of Maestro?"]

["Aye, Prime, thar is; Carlisle ha' ordered tha any NBE available is ta be captured, preferably functional.

["Thar's also chatter abou' how ya happen ta be so close jus' as tha Decepticons are attackin'."]

["That's easy; we are executing a military order for his arrest,"] Fowler supplied easily.

["Correct, although it is doubtful he will believe it is just coincidence that we have arrived at almost the same time as the Decepticons,"] Prowl pointed out.

["It does not matter. Our subterfuge is only temporary,"] Optimus assured.

["Prime?"] Maestro interrupted. ["It's go time."]

{"All troops, engage the Carlisle contingent,"} Optimus ordered as he transformed in motion.

The battle had begun.


	54. Chapter Fifty two

_**A/N:** I'm back! Sorry it took so long to get this out, but I'm hoping you will be pleased to note that the reason this one is coming out now is because I've had to break the chapter again. This was going to be the last chapter, but it just took off on its own. The even better news? Chapter 53 and 54 are almost done, and the Epilogue is finished. I'm hoping this is going to be wrapped up over the next couple of weeks._

_Special shout out to my lovely Beta, Khalthar for his exquisite work on the battle scenes and filling a couple of the plot-holes I didn't notice._

_As always, let me know what I could do better. Tracy_

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO:

"Are you sure you can teleport all of us at the same time?" Ratchet drilled the purple Seeker, leveling his most intimidating glare at him.

"Yes Hatchet; I have all the sparks in my subspace I can carry to make sure there is plenty of room, the distance to the coordinates from here is barely one quarter of what I can warp at my highest transport distance and all of us combined are only three quarters of my maximum mass-teleportation limits. The only thing I'm worried about is how the spatial displacement will affect the organics."

"What do you mean; 'affect' them?" Road Rage demanded pulling Ellie closer to her chassis instinctively.

"Well, . . . theoretically, they should be fine, just a little disoriented; but I never tried to warp with a human before."

"_What_!" Ratchet bellowed as he quickly stepped protectively in front of Road Rage and Ellie and pulled Epps closer to his own chassis.

"What did you expect me to do? Grab a random human and teleport them somewhere?

"Starscream said it wasn't a good idea 'cause Ellie'd get mad if something happened."

"Tell them what you did do," Knockout advised in a rather bored tone.

"Well?" the Autobot CMO raised an optic ridge and waited expectantly.

"Um, started warping with organic plants, then offlined lower life forms before trying with live ones."

"What happened to the live ones?"

"Uh, they, kinda, sorta, ran off when I set them down . . . and . . . impacted . . . with the . . . mindless drones the humans operate."

The Hummer cycled his optics a few times before he turned to his Decepticon counterpart. "Would they have survived if they had not been struck?"

"Oh yes!" Hook informed most exuberantly. "The necropsy indicated nothing but increased adrenaline levels that could be attributed to the teleportation sequence, and that was probably due to the stress of being caught by Skywarp and then immediately released afterward."

"It's alright Ratchet," Ellie interrupted before he could say anything. "I don't think that either me or Epps are gonna go running blindly into any traffic when we're set down."

"Uhm, we just got the call," Skywarp informed as he hastily took his place in the center of the circle.

"If anything happens to this sparkling, . . ." Road Rage left the threat hanging as she took her place next to the Seeker.

As soon as the group had clustered together as tightly as physically possible, they disappeared with a sharp bang.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Bumblebee ducked his helm down as bullets ricocheted off his frame. He took a quick survey of the area and saw who was firing at him and released a shot of his own. Although he was careful not to actually hit the humans, he was madder than his namesake in a rage. They were the ones who had kept pursuing his little translator . . . and how he wished to Primus that he could make them pay for that, but his orders were specific. 'Do not actually hit the humans, but make sure they can't continue the fight.'

Making sure the concussion of his plasma cannon was close enough to incapacitate, but not enough to kill, wasn't at all easy. But then, he knew they had orders to capture him alive if possible and it was that one fact which helped to even the odds.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Thundercracker and Blitzwing actually laughed loud enough for the humans below to hear them as they rained destruction down around the edges of the battle field. By keeping the doctor's forces from spreading out, they were easier for their allies to focus on and take out. Not that they weren't getting a few hits in themselves.

["Blitzwing… a little more to your left. Use the blast of your missiles to knock those humans back into the main group!"]

Immediately after the release of a missile intended to do exactly that, one human ran almost to the point of impact and was bodily hurled through the air to land amidst his fellows. The sight of this caused the Seeker to laugh loudly enough that he was even heard over the noises and sounds of the battle below. That was when he saw that Starscream had been right! The sound of his laughter was demoralizing to the enemy!

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Sir! We have multiple targets engaging the perimeter," a C-2 informed Dr. Carlisle from his place in front of a monitor.

"Sound the alarm! All personnel to battle stations! I'll lead the Phoenix team, call the Lazarus team for back-up," the head scientist ordered as he rushed out of the room with barely a limp.

"All personnel! Battle stations! This is not a drill! All personnel, prepare for battle with the N.B.E.'s!" the same C-2 was shouting into the P.A. system.

When every monitor in the room went dark and every electrical component liquified, bedlam broke out among the C-2s.

"Hey!" someone exclaimed from another terminal.

"What the . . .?" another claimed.

"It's an N.B.E.! It's infiltrated the system! Quick, get out!" the ranking person ordered as he directed them to the doors.

They all stopped short when the liquid electronics swarmed the doors, blocking them inside the control room.

"We're trapped," a short, Native American woman whispered as she looked between the two exits.

"I am Maestro," a Scottish brogue introduced themselves. "Pair-mit me ta intra-deuce ya ta tha _real_ 'Maimed Angel'," he informed amicably as video files began to flash across the barricaded doors.

They watched in horror as the Scottish sounding alien revealed the truth.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

As one the Deadeyes looked up as the alarm sounded. Two-ten quickly looked at the rest of her team. "This is it people…It's go time!" Without another word, the unit grabbed their weapons and ran into the hall, ostensibly to repel the intruders, but in actuality they were going to aid them.

They moved a bit more slowly than others but with a purpose. They quickly made their way to the battle that was already in full swing.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Dr. Alistair Carlisle ran down the hall from the control center. He didn't dwell on the absolute joy he felt at the ability to actually move under his own power. He still used the cane on occasion, mostly when he became tired from pushing himself too hard too fast.

He shook his head and focused on his mission; his base was under attack. It was his duty as commander to protect his troops and repel the enemy.

A quick glance down the hall showed him the elevator bank was locked on the lowest floor; it was a safety precaution, he knew, in case they took a hit. Easily, he altered his course and went through the stairs closest to the Phoenix lab.

Tapping the ear piece in his right ear, he growled in frustration when Cespedes didn't answer.

"Where the _Hell_ are you?" he muttered angrily, beginning to breathe heavy.

Finally, after twenty flights of stairs and two breaks, he reached the floor with the Phoenix lab. Gulping air desperately, he staggered to the door and swiped his card.

He frowned when nothing happened and made sure the card was in the right position, then tried again. The light didn't even flicker to show the card had been read.

"Now what?" he wondered aloud as he got on his knees and pried open the control panel.

"Why aren't you working?" he muttered as he pulled out wires and rewired them.

When nothing worked like it was supposed to, no matter what he tried, he turned to the manual release panel and pried the cover off. When it was open, he gaped at what he saw; the manual release lever was gone.

"How the . . .?

"Oh HELL no!" he decreed as his eyes searched the empty halls. Rapidly, he located the emergency kit near the elevators and raced for it.

"There is _no_ way those _**damn**_ robots are going to win this war," he roared as he pulled a pry bar out and limped determinedly back to the lab door.

"First, they blow-up my Hoover Dam lab," he lamented aloud as he shoved the pry-bar brutally into the door seam, "scare the Maimed Angel away," he pulled the bar back to wedge it further into the resisting doors, "and _brainwash_ her into actually helping them!

"She's MINE! They _**won't**_ have her!" he yelled as the door finally gave way and he wedged his way through.

"Cespedes!" he yelled as soon as he was inside. "Cespedes, where are you?

"Anybody?" he called as he looked around.

"Son of a . . ." he started as he quickly rushed off to fill the fuel cell of the Phoenix. He made an impatient sound as the refueling station seemed to take forever.

Frustrated, he raced off and began to load the weapons onto the suit while the cell filled. After he had loaded all of the ammo available onto it, he turned and pulled the fuel cell out of the refueling dock and hastily strapped it into place. The odd way the level indicator on the refueling station seemed to flicker between 10.0 and 100. never being noticed.

He turned toward the control panel and tried to turn the setting to "unit control," smacking the panel when he discovered he was locked out.

"I'll teach you," he muttered as he walked over to the suit and moved the manual switch to "unit." Satisfied, he climbed up the ladder and strapped himself inside. As he flipped all switches to the "on" position, he watched the HUD flicker on and then stood the armor up when everything was green. In irritation, he smacked the ladder away and approached the external door, sending the signal to open it. When it failed to budge, he stopped and pointed both arms at it, firing his specially designed, high-heat missiles at it, smiling grimly when it exploded outward in a partially molten plume of smoke and debris.

He didn't even wait for the steel to cool before he was running through the hole; the Phoenix was entering the fray.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

The sound of the proximity alarm going off barely registered to Cespedes as he and his team frantically assembled the final bodies. 

"Maestro! Will you mute that damn noise?" Dixie demanded as the volume finally got too loud for her.

Instantly, there was silence.

"Thank you, Doll," she sighed gratefully as she focused intensely on her task.

"When will they be here?" Yonkers asked nervously, holding a wire in place in an optic sensor as a scalpel soldered it into place.

"Soon, I would guess," Cespedes answered distractedly while a green spidrobot hastily patched a piece of tubing he was trying to hold in place.

"How are they getting in?" Dixie wondered aloud, wiping her hair from her eyes and leaving a black smudge across her forehead in her wake.

The sound of several metallic bodies landing nearby followed by loud Cybertronian swearing answered her. 

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Ow!" someone yelled from the bottom of the pile.

"Glitching fragger!" Ratchet swore as he hastily rolled his way from the pile, Epps covered by his hands.

"My paint!" Knockout lamented.

"Hey! Watch the sparkling!" Road Rage yelled angrily, moving swiftly away from the struggling frames.

"That was fun!" Hook crowed happily just before he dissolved into laughter.

The rest of the room froze and looked at the medic like he had lost his processor.

"Uh . . . sorry?" Skywarp tried as he broke the others' silence and landed gracefully beside the solitary femme.

"Sorry? Sorry!" the bright red medic parroted as he bodily shoved Hook off him and surged to his feet. "You materialized us twenty feet off the ground, let us all go so that we promptly fall in a heap over our patients, each other and the floor, thankfully missing the fleshies, . . . who knows how long it would've taken me to get one of _them_ out of my servos, . . . endangered the two we came here with and destroyed my paint job in the process and you say 'sorry' like it's supposed to make up for it!

"Are you fraggin' glitched?"

Skywarp grinned ruefully as he stroked a gentle digit across Ellie's back in concern.

"You're my medic; don't you know?"

"When are we gonna 'pop'?" Ellie asked in confusion, ignoring the indignant spluttering of the irate mech.

"What do you mean?" Skywarp asked the girl, visibly relaxing when she spoke to him.

"The last time you disappeared," she started, opening her eyes to look around her in surprise, "you 'popped'."

The purple Seeker chuckled when it occurred to him what she was referring to. "It wasn't actually me that made the popping sound, femme-ling; it was the air rushing back together in the space I had been in that made it. We didn't hear the pop, but anyone else around would have.

"You mean like the Thundercracker after lightening?"

"Exactly," he assured as he turned back to Ratchet, not registering the Freudian slip.

"They alright?" he directed to the Hummer.

"No damage," the Autobot CMO assured after his scan of the girl was complete.

"Well then! We better get a move on," Ellie suggested with a smile. "Those matrices aren't gonna restore themselves.

"Who has Shockwave?"

"I do," First Aid informed as he pulled said holo-preserver out of his subspace.

"Great! How about you guys start with him and Que; the more medics you have, the quicker it's gonna go, plus it'll show the Decepticons how my preservers work. Meanwhile, Epps, Road Rage, and I can start sorting out the stuff we brought."

"I'll start unloading my subspace and set up which spark goes to which body," Skywarp volunteered, quickly moving to Starscream's body and reverently placing his spark next to his head. Turning it on, he waited a few moments for his trine mate and leader to gain his bearings before he rushed off to place the rest of his sparks.

"We can help too," a human male volunteered from his place next to Que's body.

"And you are?" Ratchet assessed the human, instinctively blocking his view of Ellie.

"Amadeus Cespedes, and this is my team."

"Maestro informed us of you," the Autobot medic grunted in confirmation, bending over to set Epps on the floor.

"This is Epps. He has volunteered to help us," he finished.

"She's her, isn't she?" the lone human woman demanded in a subdued tone. "She's the baby that that inhuman monster experimented on. That 'Maimed Angel'."

"Yeah, Ellie's her," Epps agreed on his way to the water cooler. . . teleportation did not agree with him . . . "and she ain't _ever_ gonna have to relive any of the shit that bastard put her through, . . . is she."

He didn't even try to pretend it was a question.

"Of course not!" the woman agreed indignantly. "I would _never_ subject _anyone_ to that kind of treatment!"

"You'll not ask her about it either," Road Rage warned with an angry growl of her engine.

"No! Not a word," the woman hastily affirmed as she quickly retreated behind the body she had been working on.

Ellie studiously ignored the conversation around her, concentrating, instead, on maneuvering the supplies they had brought into some semblance of order. Just as she finished moving it how she wanted, an explosion sounded from down the hall.

"What was that?" she wondered in concern.

"Ah breach o' tha external loadin' doors in lab'ratory alpha-three, two, nine," Maestro helpfully supplied.

"Carlisle!" the scientists exclaimed in unison.

"What about him?" Ellie asked in growing dread.

"He took the Phoenix out," Cespedes answered from his place near the cyclops' shoulder.

"Oh no!" Ellie gasped as the implications dawned on her.

"Road Rage! Skywarp!" Ratchet ordered as he began to connect the Energon lines to the spark. "Hold him down; he offlined with his battle processors running, it'll take a klik or two for the memories of his spark to sync with his body. He _**will**_ fight us.

"Epps, Ellie; one of you needs to bring the drips. His systems have all been drained."

"I got it," Epps informed, moving to the case.

Once Ellie was certain there was no one paying attention to her, she slipped up to the interior lab door.

"Maestro? Please let me out; I have to go to the bathroom."

The soft "snick" of the door unlatching did not alert anyone as she confidently left the lab. Out in the hall, she called up the map Maestro had sent with his last update and headed for the ladies' room right next to the Phoenix lab.

She wouldn't let her Uncle Al hurt her _real_ family.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

As soon as he came online, the Decepticon scientist noted the presence of the Autobot CMO standing behind him. Shockwave looked around further, to see that everyone had been watching to see how to replace his spark matrix. He ran a quick diagnostic and saw that the repairs to his frame were barely adequate; however, it would be enough to allow him to restore the others and give his self-repair systems the time to work.

Shockwave noted that there was very little Energon available in his systems. Fortunately, the Autobot medic had a cube ready for him. As low as he was, he knew that slow consumption would be best. He sat up and accepted the cube gratefully, before sipping at it. Once he was properly fueled for the immediate duration, Shockwave began to aid the others in the process of installing a spark matrix, and proceeded to tend to as many as he could.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Brigadier General William Lennox watched the wall of screens in front of him with tight lips. The tension in his body was instantly apparent to any who saw him, and they would only have to glance at the wall to see why; broken up into more than a hundred smaller screens, each frame showed part of a battle going on. Each of the tiny screens was actually what was happening on the battle field. All of the N.E.S.T. soldiers and even the See-ones were wearing an earpiece with a boom mike and a micro sized camera attached. It allowed the General to see what was happening from the perspective of each allied soldier in combat. Looking at the compilation of images on the multiple screens in front of the General, the only thing that could be determined was that war was total confusion, it was bedlam, it was chaos, and it was Hell.

Explosions, screams of agonized, wounded personnel and bloody, sometimes broken, bodies filled each of the small screens at one time or another. The only _good_ things about this whole mess was that no one had been killed, and the assault of the group known as the 'Dead-Eyes'. They were snipers of an _incredible_ caliber! They were actually shooting the weapons out of the hands of the enemy troops, and destroying those weapons in the process. Suddenly Will spotted something in one of the screens that made him focus on it exclusively. The Dead-Eye sniper had just taken a shot before lowering his rifle. It was none other than Figueroa aka 'Fig'! The General couldn't help but smile at the thought that his old friend was still in action.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

As Ellie ran out of the building, what she saw was like something straight out of a nightmare. Her heart almost stopped in her chest when she saw Sunstreaker almost surrounded by the group of See-Ones. She'd been about to go try to help him when she realized that they were actually _helping_ the mech! She watched Sunstreaker engage an enemy at close range while the See-Ones held back a ways and took shots of opportunity on the enemy that Sunstreaker was fighting.

"Are they on our side now?" Ellie wondered aloud in disbelief as she stared at the sight in front of her. "They must be or they wouldn't be helping Sunstreaker, and he would have pounded them by now," she concluded before looking around for Optimus.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Soundwave's optics came on with a flash of red before they flickered off and a visor slid down to cover them.

Gingerly, Shockwave helped him sit up and held a cube of Energon to his lip-plates. When he started to greedily gulp it, the scientist removed it before he could purge it all back up.

"Slowly," the cyclops cautioned before he returned the cube. "Your system was bled dry of Energon and your tanks were also emptied. We were able to replace the circulatory Energon, but your tanks must be refilled slowly: the processing fluids must be built back up to acceptable levels before you can intake a standard ration."

Soundwave had to reset his vocalizer twice before he could speak.

"Soundwave: skt – knowledges."

When the scientist was satisfied the telepath was not going to gulp the rest of his ration, he rushed off to help re-integrate another spark the human team of scientists was struggling with.

Soundwave sat on the berth and watched the comings and goings of the various mechs and humans as he sipped slowly on his cube. Absently, he noted it was a quarter ration of medical grade while he took note of who was around. Carefully re-sealing the cube, he re-examined the roster of those present and compared it against those he expected to be there. One person was missing.

"Epps: query. Ellie: location?"

The tall human stopped in confusion and began to look around for the one person he had been tasked to guard.

"Hey! Anyone seen Ellie?" he shouted over the noise being made in the re-integration of the sparks.

"Haven't seen her since she asked what the explosion was," one of the male scientist answered as he hastily clamped off a leaking Energon line.

"Oh sh - - - !" Epps started before he thrust the box of Energon cubes at a passing medic.

Soundwave didn't hear his profanity before he was already out the door and transforming down into his alt to fit through the hallways. Hastily, he comm'd the spy he knew Ellie had in place and was rewarded with an instant schematic of the base layout and directions to the closest exit large enough for him. Turning the last corner, he was grateful to see the blast doors already opening to accommodate his mass. Absently, he registered the closing of the doors after him to keep potential combatants from the re-integration team.

As soon as the spymaster was clear of the doors, he was in his root form and bringing his weapons online. The only one still available was his sonic cannon. Instantly, it was armed and he began to track potential targets as he frantically searched for the girl.

"NO!" he screamed his denial when he saw the Prime fall at the hands of her custodian. Already, he was firing his cannon at one quarter intensity toward the cyborg enemies: instantly destroying their implants and leaving them confused and in pain in his wake, clearing a path to the Autobot leader. He knew his sparkling would try and reach the mech to attempt repairs.

He was almost to her when something ran into him from the side, knocking him off his feet. Out of pure reflex generated by ages of war, he rolled with the momentum, pinning his attacker with his weight while he tried to identify them. The face-plates of the Autobot saboteur, Jazz, remained expressionless, his optics locked on his own in an empty, mechanical stare as the body tried to escape.

Dispassionately, Soundwave deployed his hacking cables and easily penetrated the Earth-made patch covering the mech's spark chamber where they made short work of the

sub-standard human technology now within. With barely a process, he had the frequencies and programming codes analyzed and hijacked, back-tracking the signal to the origination point. Once he was in, he sent a powerful electronic pulse along the network that immediately destroyed the main control panel for all of the Lazarus mechs. All of the now lifeless bodies slumped to the ground at the same moment, freeing their opponents to engage the other threats and leaving the spymaster to race off to help his sparkling.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Ellie watched in horrified fascination as her Uncle Al deftly maneuvered Optimus into the position he wanted; knee servos in direct line and stance set almost in profile while he fired his weapon at the relatively weaker joints. With a surprised cry of pain, the Prime reached out and caught the encased human as he fell. Using his own mass and momentum against him, the scientist sliced upward at the elbow servo with the blade he retrieved from Sideswipe's downed opponent. The blade sang as it cut through the joint.

Before Uncle Al could celebrate his victory, Sunstreaker was there, drawing him away from the downed leader.

With speed born of desperate fear, Ellie was in motion, racing towards Optimus' prone form.

"Optimus! Optimus, please!" she begged as she climbed his beaten torso.

"Oh Urielle . . . you must get away," he plead.

"No! I _won't_ leave you."

"Must. Cannot . . . protect . . ."

"Stop! I can help you protect me.

"The passage. The one I told you wasn't quite right. I remember it now and it can help you."

"How?"

"'The key to victory is not a key, not metal, sound or light. The key is love and honest sparks, and true intent for right. When love is won by honest spark, the truth will be revealed. Veracity will be released, blood-ties be unsealed.'"

Before the last words had faded into the air, Ellie was already touching the giant mech's spark through a small breach in his armor.

The Autobot leader convulsed as generations worth of knowledge streamed into his processors and thick, liquid-silver metal began to flow freely along his body. As if it had a conscious, the silver flowed to every damaged place on the Prime and instantly repaired or rebuilt it. While the process was finishing, he shunted all of the non-critical new data to his secondary processors and onlined his optics when his proximity scanners warned him of the threat.

"_Carlisle!_" he hissed in utter loathing.

"Amazing!" the scientist said ecstatically as he reached for his niece.

"NO!" the static-y cry of Soundwave decreed just before he tackled the encased human.

At almost the same moment, the "new hardware 100% functional" notice popped up on the Peterbilt's HUD and he wasted no time in moving; hastily scooping his ward off his chest and depositing her into the surprised hands of Sunstreaker.

"Care for her," he told the golden mech in a near growl as anger caused him to focus intently on his adversary and deployed his new blade.

Warily, the opponents circled each other as they tried to work out the others' weaknesses. Optimus' scans informing him of the excessive power drain Carlisle's weapons systems were putting on his already limited fuel supply. His optics narrowed as he made a feint to his right to try and draw the human further away from Sunstreaker and a laboriously breathing Urielle.

The scientist countered the feint with his own, moving to his own right and firing his weapon at Sunstreaker from around the Prime.

"NO!" multiple cries rang out from Sideswipe, Soundwave, Thundercracker, and Road Rage as they converged on the golden twin.

The Peterbilt ignored the way his spark froze with fright at the thought of losing his sparkling and swung his new Sword of Truth at the knees of the former caretaker. He unleashed his pent up rage with a roar as the sword sliced through the appendages easily. When the arms came up in front of the human instinctively, Optimus made short work of them as well, making certain to cleave through the weapons mounts in the same motion. Not satisfied with the damage he had inflicted, he flipped the scientist onto his front and brutally removed the fuel cell from his back; ending with a stab to the back of the encasement's head, rendering the Phoenix useless and completely immobile.

Nodding at the howl of rage coming from the now trapped scientist, he stood up and surveyed the silent battlefield for additional threats to his sparkling. Satisfied that she was safe, for now, he turned back toward the group of mechs and single femme clustered around Sunstreaker.

"Livewire! Hurry!" he heard the golden warrior order.

The desperation in the sharp command was enough to make the giant's very spark seem to freeze in its casing before flaring wildly in fear. Before the second word could even fade into oblivion, Optimus began running toward the group, snatching up the struggling medic-ling as he went.

What he saw in the center of the grouping stopped him cold.


	55. Chapter Fifty three

_**A/N:**__ It is down to the home-stretch! One more "wrap-up" chapter and then the Epilogue. Then . . . Ellie's first story will be complete. Don't worry! This is far from the last you'll see of our little heroine. As it stands right now, the next chapter is at the Beta's to see if and/or how we need to add to it to fit in better with the way the story ended up. Hopefully, it won't take as long to get out as this one did. _

_As always, please let me know what I could improve and what I did wrong or right. Tracy_

**LEGEND:**

%:"Cybertronian":%

'Thoughts.'

{"Comm link."}

D%"Decepticon Cybertronian."%D

Klik – Cybertronian unit of time – equal to about 8.5 minutes

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE:

Livewire froze when he heard the Autobot yelling for him. The only reason Sunstreaker would sound so desperate was if something bad was happening to Ellie.

Hastily, he grabbed his medical kit and tried to rush through the soupy-bog the Cybertronians had made of the ground. Desperately, he tried to jump over the worst of the divots to try and reach his patient faster.

The sudden sensation of being lifted in the air summoned a surprised blat of static from his vocalizer until he recognized the hand and field surrounding him as belonging to Optimus Prime.

Faster, they ran until the giant mech was bodily forcing his way through the gathered crowd.

"MOVE!" he bellowed in a rarely heard, hard, commanding tone.

When they reached the center of the gathering crowd, Livewire immediately began to squirm to be let loose when the Prime stopped with a jerk. Mechanically, the Peterbilt opened his hand to allow the medic his freedom.

Hurriedly, the small mech jumped onto a golden shoulder and clambered down the arm to get to his patient.

As soon as she was in view, he began running scans on her, frowning when he could find no apparent reason for the lesions seemingly spontaneously appearing on her organs.

"Groundhog, run your scans on her; mine are not as advanced as an adult-framed medic," he asked in desperation.

A red beam shot out of the engineer-turned-field-medic's forearm as he scanned the quickly deteriorating femme-ling.

"_**Frag!**_ How the . . .?" Groundhog muttered as he began to run more scans.

"What is it?" Livewire demanded desperately.

"It makes _no __**sense**_! My scans indicate she is losing the structural integrity at her DNA level. There is _no way_ that should happen to an organic."

"What do we do?"

"I don't _know!_"

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Barricade kept watch of the captured humans as the crowd tightened around the apparently destabilizing femme-ling. Only those who knew him well would notice the way he seemed to slouch into himself. Unfortunately, Lugnut was one such mech.

"What's wrong 'Cade?"

"It sounds like the femme-ling is about to off-line."

"Aww! I hope they can repair her; I like her."

The police car made a non-committal noise as he watched Blitzwing dive on retreating humans, Thundercracker tightened his circle around the crowded mechs and Soundwave stalked angrily off toward the still trapped scientist.

Barricade diverted his attention back to his prisoners and tried desperately to ignore the knowing look Prowl was sending his way. After all, if the femme-ling offlined, he'd be free of his debt to her. Besides, her human guardian was no-longer in a position to harm her, so his debt had been paid. It wouldn't matter to him if yet another sparkling, . . . er, stupid fleshy had terminated way too young. Yeah! It _absolutely_ wouldn't matter to him, . . . not at all.

So maybe, if he kept telling himself this, he'd start to believe it.

He was a Decepticon warrior, slag it! He didn't feel bad about harming an innocent youngling whose only thought was to protect him and his kind. He definitely didn't have disturbing memory fluxes interrupting his recharge cycles about damaging her into requiring a whole new format upgrade. No, not him.

At least . . . that's what he wanted to be true.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Prowl watched the multitude of emotions pass over the other black and white mech's optics; guessing it had to do with Ellie's current situation. He knew that not many people really knew exactly how deeply his brother felt, or how intelligent he truly was. He, perhaps better than anyone, knew exactly how conflicted the younger mech felt . . . and he didn't need the long dormant sibling bond to tell him.

Thinking about family, he glanced over to his new sparkling, Clyde, -and he seriously had to think of a more appropriate name for the mech-ling- he found himself full of pride for how diligent the youngling was in his guarding duties. He had done everything that Prowl had told him and was truly a source of pride for any creator.

Suddenly, a sharp, pain-filled cry had him whirling toward the sound, only to witness Soundwave's hacking cables retract back into his chassis from the inert Phoenix encasement and his sonic cannon power down to fold away. An optic strut raised in question as the spymaster carelessly threw the scientist in the general direction of the prisoners and hurried back to the crowd surrounding the femme-ling.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Soundwave was surprisingly graceful when he was fighting. If there had been music playing, it would almost have looked like he was dancing. With one final roll, he released the encased soldier he was fighting and allowed the now in-operable exoskeleton to fall and take its operator with it.

Now free, he looked up in time to see the vividly colored Phoenix stabbing the yellow twin in the lower lumbar support strut and approaching the fallen Prime.

Quickly running the calculations, he sprinted toward the downed Autobot leader, making audio range just as he heard Carlisle's exclamation as he reached for Ellie.

"NO!" he roared as he closed the distance between himself and the spark-less scientist, tackling him away from his femme.

The scientist surprised him when he went with the momentum of the tackle and was able to successfully throw him off when they came out of the roll.

%:"Cover Urielle,":% Optimus ordered the spymaster in their supersonic, native language as he squared off against the vile human.

Instantly, he obeyed; placing himself between the combatants and the precious sparkling to act as a shield in the case of a stray discharge.

Soundwave watched intently; barely acknowledging when his scanners picked up the systematic gathering of the fallen cyborgs into a central location. He calculated that the remaining, still fully functional cyborgs and humans were the back-up they were expecting.

When he saw the Prime feint to his right, he instinctively tensed. The Sabot round the scientist shot at them from around the mech's chassis was unusually slow, giving him the chance to swat it away like it was a flying scraplet. It fell harmlessly to the ground without injuring anyone.

Secretly pleased when the Autobot incapacitated the scientist beyond the ability to fight, he turned to check on his sparkling. She was paling rapidly and shivering uncontrollably as she huddled closer to the injured mech's chassis. When she finally whimpered and lost consciousness, the golden front-liner called for the spindly little medic.

Helplessly, he watched as the medics worked on her; automatically recording their conversation for later analysis and really only listening with half an audial until he heard the rising desperation in their voices.

"Damn! Put her on the ground _**NOW**_ Sunstreaker!" Livewire ordered.

Instantly, he was obeyed as he began to rhythmically push on her chest.

Soundwave couldn't look anymore. He just couldn't watch his femme die.

"You damn robots!" he heard the muffled cries of the villainous scientist. "Come back and face me like a sentient being!"

'Him,' the Decepticon communications officer thought. '_He's_ the reason Ellie is offlining. He was the one who tortured and mutilated her delicate protoform; transformed her from a beautiful, loving, _trusting_ little femme-ling into a physical _**monstrosity**_ in her own processors. Because of him, she can't even trust her own kind.'

The Mercedes found himself standing over the trapped scientist, flexing his hands in silent rage. He ignored the pathetic show of bravado he could hear from inside the destroyed exoskeleton as he reached with his hacking cables for it.

When the scientist felt himself being lifted, his screams took on a far more insanely maniacal tone.

"So what are you gonna do? Kill me? Go ahead you metal bastard; show the universe what kind of mechanical, monster _coward_ you really are!"

"Negative," Soundwave answered in an even tone. "Much _**worse**_."

With that, he hacked into the neural wiring of the Phoenix and proceeded to destroy every external relay from the screaming scientist to the suit. He had never relished the smell of burning organic flesh more.

A quick scan of the human showed that the device spliced into his spinal strut was still functional, - he couldn't have that – so he deployed his sonic cannon. Determining the harmonic weaknesses of the materials of the device, he calibrated his weapon and fired it point blank at the infamous 'Uncle Al.'

"NO! AAAAHHHHH!" Dr. Carlisle screamed when he felt his spinal column fracture and the device stop working.

Soundwave wouldn't enlighten him to the fact the device had been disintegrated. Let the fragger learn that from his own physicians.

Dispassionately, he tossed the screaming organic in the general direction of the prisoners and rushed back to the gathering crowd; wondering at the flashes of light from the center.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Bumblebee watched helplessly as Livewire, Groundhog and the human medics desperately tried to revive his femme-ling.

When the spindly little medic grabbed the paddles off his own chest and brutally began to shock her, he jerked in sympathy.

"_**Damn**_ it! We're losing her," the defibrillating machine lamented.

"There's nothing we can do," one of the humans sadly announced as he leaned back on his haunches in obvious defeat.

"This is Ellie! Don't you _**DARE**_ give up!" the young scout demanded hotly of the human.

"Bumblebee, they can do no more," Optimus told the distraught youngling with a hand on his shoulder strut, "but _**I**_ can."

Gently, the Prime maneuvered the Camaro to the side and stepped forward.

"Put her in my hand, quickly," he ordered the medics.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

She was dying. His beautiful, loving, compassionate Urielle was slipping away. Even if his scanners hadn't told him so, his spark knew.

How could she have survived so much, only to fall when she was finally free? It was not fair. Primus could not be so cruel, not to his own kin . . .

Kin . . . Urielle was a direct kinsman to Primus; that was how she _knew_ how to work on Cybertronian systems! How she was able to integrate Cybertronian technology directly into her own, organic systems!

Instantly, the forgotten data revealed itself to his processors, almost seeming to blink accusingly at his cognitive functions for ignoring it at such a critical time. Optimus opened it and downloaded the data as fast as possible, not noticing when Livewire jumped from his hand to tend to her.

Even for their advanced processors, it still took the Prime over 10 earth minutes to just _open_ all of the files. Not having the time to assimilate the new information, the data was sorted according to subject, taking no more than 45 Earth seconds to accomplish.

Hungrily, every file that even _mentioned_ human physiology was assimilated into his primary processors. Then the information on the molecular bonding process was uploaded, and _**that**_ was where he found the answer.

"This is Ellie! Don't you _**DARE**_ give up!" Bumblebee was ordering the human medics.

The Peterbilt's scanners revealed the truth; they were running out of time.

"Bumblebee, they can do no more," he told the young scout with a gentle grasp on his shoulder strut, "but _**I**_ can."

He knew he was her only hope. The new information swirling in his processors outlined everything that needed to be done.

Maneuvering the scout out of his way, he stepped forward and knelt before the sparkling.

"Put her in my hand," Optimus ordered, adding "quickly," when Livewire looked like he was about to object.

Gently, they placed her in his newly-formed hand as quickly as possible, pulling the young medic back when he made to clamber after her. Instantly, he felt the very alloys of his frame reaching for her as she was raised next to his spark. He didn't fight the draw. The newly integrated matter liquified beneath her too-still form as her heart struggled to beat.

Slowly, . . . much, _much_ too slowly, the alloy began to restore the breach in her DNA strands its rapid departure had wrought. The nanobots welcoming the odd assistance with renewed efforts to repair the heart.

"Dub . . . lub," her heart beat slowly.

"Dub . . ., . . . lub," even slower.

"Dub . . ." finally, it stopped.

Using every scanner he had access to to monitor her condition, the Prime desperately cast around for _any_thing that would start her heart again . . . even the link with her implants.

The draw on the alloys was beginning to weaken, time was almost up.

'NO! I will not lose you, too!' he thought grimly, wracking his processors for anything that would save her.

He did not know if it was core coding or hidden knowledge the alloys had possessed, but his desperation made him seize the wayward idea. Determinedly, he parted his own chest plates and exposed his spark to her as he held her to his chassis.

The bright, rich cerulean of the pure spark reached for her . . . its creation.

The spark forced its way from his chassis, spinning desperately in fear and determination. A jolt of blue energy slammed from the ancient spark into Urielle's chest. He could feel the alloys surging back into the breached strands at the sudden infusion of power. The migration slowed as the energy bled away.

Again, he shocked her, again the alloys surged and then slowed.

It was the third attempt that finally restarted her heart.

"Dub-lub, . . . dub-lub," the sound was music to Cybertronian audials.

Staring in amazement, Optimus Prime watched the faint blue glow hovering around his sparkling slowly begin to fade as her vitals stabilized, automatically sending a real-time feed to Ratchet.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Ratchet straightened his spinal strut with an ex-vent as he handed Starscream a quarter ration of medical grade Energon.

"Slowly," he warned the Seeker when the cube was tipped toward his lip-plates.

{"Ratchet! Urielle is dying!"} the comm burst into his audial from an obviously frantic Prime.

{"What!?"} he asked in stunned disbelief as he accessed the emergency-medical observation protocols every Autobot he ever worked on with some frequency were equipped with.

He felt his spark sink as he accessed the real-time feed of Optimus' scanners.

"Skywarp! Take me to Ellie, _**NOW**_!" the medic ordered the suddenly serious jet.

Instantly, the Seeker wrapped his arms around both the medic and his trine leader; then, getting the coordinates from Thundercracker, disappeared with a loud "bang."

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Lt. Fowler and a unit of N.E.S.T. Soldiers infiltrated the compound with surprising ease. Every door they came to was opened as soon as they got into position to break it down.

"Who is _doing_ this?" he finally demanded when the third door opened before them.

"I am lad," a Scottish brogue answered cheerfully.

"And you are . . .?" he queried, looking around anxiously.

"Maestro! Assimilation drone an' frien' ta Ellie, at yar sar'vice."

"Okay then.

"Uh . . . where are you?"

Chuckling accompanied the sounds of several transformation sequences as every mechanical thing in the room assumed a humanoid shape.

"Which one of you is this Maestro dude?" a younger soldier asked curiously, alternating between looking at the mechs and for threats.

"We argh me," they said in unison.

The group of soldiers looked at each other comically.

"Uh, can you explain that in thirty seconds or less?" Fowler asked in confusion.

"Gen'rally speakin', we argh the component pieces o' Maestro. The pri'miry bein' is tha main sar-ver. Any piece o' equipment tha' was e'er connect'd ta it was assimilated by our main component to become anuther piece. So, we argh all diff'rent parts o' Maestro."

"O . . . kay - ," he answered as he mulled the explanation over. "So, what other systems have you assimilated?"

"Everythin'!" the components chorused as they danced around. "Includin' tha security systems!"

"Will you help us?"

The components all stopped and transformed back down into their alts. The monitor closest to the lieutenant flickered to life and began to show the various camera views.

"Show us the current threats in relation to this room."

Instantly, a graphic depiction of the compound with red, yellow, green and blue dots appeared.

"That blue dots rep'ra'zent ya, red's yer enemies, green's tha medic team, an' yellow be can'vert'in'," the drone helpfully supplied.

"Converting to what?" Lt. Fowler asked with a frown.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"A baby!" the Native American woman exclaimed.

"He turned her into a freak just so he could walk again," another C-2 accused.

"It can't be true!" another denied.

"Who are you? Cleopatra?" the ranking C-2 finally exclaimed in anger.

"How can you refuse to believe it?" he continued. "It was Carlisle's voice and image! And I don't know about any of you, but I have to work with him on a far more regular basis . . . the guy's a bastard! I am far more inclined to believe it's true."

"Aye lad, it is true. To top it all off, 'Maimed Angel,' Ellie, . . . is his niece," Maestro informed the now silent room.

"Oh my God," the head C-2 breathed in stunned disbelief.

The sound of retching echoed from the walls.

"That's disgusting!" a woman proclaimed.

"We have to help her," the C-2 leader decided. "Anyone not on board?"

No one dissented.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Shockwave looked around at the remaining bodies. All of the sparks they had brought had been re-integrated, so the only thing left was patch jobs on some of the sub-standard repairs. Briefly, he considered collecting the remaining bodies before dismissing the idea; they'd only slow them down and would end up being used for parts anyway. One thing he definitely was going to grab though was as many of these holo-preservers the human had invented as he could cram into his sub-space.

D%"Can you travel?"%D the Decepticon scientist asked the young medic in front of him as he quickly sub-spaced the vacant holo-preserver.

D%"Seven kliks"%D was the shaky answer before he went back to sipping his ration.

D%"When you are ready, we will have to move quickly.

D%"Is there anything else here we should take with us?"%D

D%"Energon, always, any extra drips available and the spark-monitor.

D%"Truthfully, we could use everything they have left, but we can't do that to Ellie."%D

Shockwave nodded and counted down the remaining time until the medic could move in his processor. Surreptitiously, he and the remaining Decepticon medics sub-spaced as much of the excess supplies as they could. They made certain to be as casual as they could so as not to arouse too much suspicion from the remaining Autobots.

When the young medic gave the subtle signal, Hook and Knockout took out the wall separating them from the loading dock in a loud explosion and Shockwave grabbed the weakened mech. As one, they all ran toward the doors, blowing them out as they ran toward freedom. None of them looked back at the alarmed shouts of the Autobot medics.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Is everyone alright?" Cespedes asked his team and the remaining NBE's.

"Just a little tinnitus, but otherwise fine," Dixie answered.

The rest of the team nodded.

"We are all functional," First Aid assured as he scanned everyone.

"They lasted longer than I would have expected," Que stated to the room at large.

"What do you mean?" Cespedes demanded.

"We are Autobots," he explained, "they are Decepticons. We are at war with each other. The fact they allowed us to help them was not too surprising, but the fact they stayed as long as they did after their reintegration is."

"I see they took some of the supplies," Jolt noted as he poked through the cases.

"Can you blame them?" Yonkers asked innocently.

"Not really, but it is surprising they left as much as they did," Que agreed.

"It was because of Ellie," Jolt informed as he began to inventory the remaining supplies.

"Why do you say that?" Dixie asked as she helped the blue mech.

"Because 'Ellie' is pronounced 'Ellie,' no matter the language," Que answered, "or dialect."

"Cureall mentioned her name just before they ran," First Aid supplied as he gathered the spidrobots for examination.

"She must've made some impression then," Cespedes theorized.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

A flash of purple alerted the gathered Autobots to the arrival of Skywarp and Ratchet. The medic only paused long enough to re-stabilize his gyroscope before he was rushing off to his Prime and patient.

He assimilated the information Livewire and Groundhog sent him on the fly while maintaining the steady, real-time feed he was getting from Optimus' sensors.

He arrived at the grouping just in time to see the spark energy leaving his leader's spark and arc into the still form in his semi-liquid hand.

Venting in relief, he watched in amazement as a blue glow surrounding the girl's form seemed to fade, just before it arced back to the source spark with an unexplainable, independent discharge.

The Peterbilt swayed and grunted in surprise as his chest plates closed with an audible "clang."

"What the frag?" Sunstreaker stated in surprise.

"You alright Buddha?" Epps asked in concern.

"Yes, everything is fully functional," he answered distractedly, still gazing at the tiny being in his solidifying hand.

"We'll see about that," Ratchet decreed, marching up to his patients.

His scan played over the bodies before him with unerring accuracy. He frowned at the results they revealed about Ellie.

"How in the universe . . . ?" he trailed off before turning to Optimus. "What the Pit?"

"What is it?" Sideswipe asked as he supported his vulnerable twin with his legs.

"According to my scans, Optimus and Ellie now share alloys, there is a definite residual spark energy signature matching Optimus' spark near her heart, your spark reading," he pointed to his Prime, "shows some minor scarring similar to a kindling sire's, and Ellie's apparent injuries are healing at an alarming rate."

"Could the nanobots be aiding the healing?" Livewire asked, turning to clamber up the CMO's frame and perched on the neon colored shoulder.

"Partially . . . but not at this rate."

"Ratchet," Optimus started, unable to tear his optics from his sparkling, "I was damaged during the battle. Urielle, . . . she must have seen me fall. She crawled on my chassis and placed her biological hand on my spark.

"Somehow, . . . it seemed to pass something on to me . . . this strange alloy. But that was not all. I received a large download of data – so large it still has not been completely assimilated."

"What?" the medic asked in a soft, dangerously quiet voice.

"Her DNA housed more than just her unique genetic code.

"Uriel must have been truly remarkable; he encoded the strands with all of the information he acquired throughout his existence, . . . and bound it to the DNA with a metallic molecule.

"Ratchet, I now wield the Blade of Veracity; _that_ was the molecule he used."

"What were the side-affects?"

"She could not lie, not without causing serious pain. An 'instinctual' knowledge of our systems and higher than average intelligence.

"Perhaps it would be easier to just send you a data packet? Besides, there may be more information not yet unpacked."

"Do that: I'll need to look at the new files as well to check for viruses too."

The Hummer grunted and visibly swayed when he received the information; thankfully in three different, but still large, data packets.

"All of that was from her?" he demanded incredulously.

"Yes.

"Will she be alright?"

"Hmm?

"Oh! Yes . . . Ellie will recover, but she should remain close to you. Even if she is unable to reciprocate, your spark will demand the proximity to establish and strengthen a bond with her.

"As far as the information; I will need several storage devices to download most of it to. There is simply too much for a standard, adult mech to assimilate without bogging down the rest of their functions."

"Hey! Where'd the 'Cons go?" Epps wondered aloud.

"They left two point eight Earth seconds ago," Prowl supplied as he walked up to the group with Clyde in tow.

"The prisoners have been turned over to the human unit," he finished, turning to Optimus.

The Prime nodded in acknowledgment, still unable to take his eyes from Ellie.

"How long will it take you to repair our wounded enough for transport?" he addressed Ratchet with a flick of his optics.

"I need to get Sunstreaker back to the compound lab. They have access to the extra parts I will need to repair his spinal strut," Ratchet answered from his position at the downed front-liner's side.

"We also need to get the bodies of our mechs gathered so we can transport them back to the Lair," Prowl pointed out.

"If you can get us some trailers, Brawn and I should be able to haul them," Clyde volunteered.

"Don't even think it!" the CMO interrupted the Peterbilt before he could offer as well. "Despite everything we currently have available at the Lair, it is still not nearly complete enough for her care at the moment; not to mention yours."

"Urielle is not comfortable around humans. Specifically, medical practitioners or spaces," Optimus protested.

"Boss-bot, she's got to get used to bein' around humans," Epps pointed out with a hand on his pede. "It isn't protecting her to keep Ellie in her comfort zone. You have to sometimes force a kid out of it to give 'em confidence in _themselves_ so they grow up stronger.

"I don't blame you _at all_ for wanting to keep her safe and isolated, but that isn't always _**healthy**_."

"He is correct, Optimus," Livewire agreed as he avidly watched Ratchet stabilizing Sunstreaker. "She cannot continue to believe all human doctors wish her harm or are anything _even __**remotely**_ like Dr. Carlisle. It will allow her psychological scars to heal even deeper than they need to be.

"The best course of action would be to leave her care to humans you trust, but remain nearby, to alleviate some of her stress."

"I . . . am unsure . . ."

"Optimus," Ratchet interrupted. "You _know_ I will not allow _any_ of my patients to come to harm. _**No one**_ will even get so much as a _glimpse_ of her in my med-bay without my approval."

"Not to mention I will be parked between her and the door, in case any one gets any _ideas_," Sunstreaker assured.

"And I'm sure you won't leave her side until Ratchet clears her," Epps added.

"That is a certainty," the Prime forcefully agreed.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Absently, Soundwave considered the fact that Astrotrain, - for such a large mech, - could be incredibly quiet when he wanted to be. He was meticulously aware of the current position of the waiting transport as he edged closer to Road Rage's position when Ratchet forced his way through the crowd. Anxiously, they waited for the prognosis of the femme-ling in companionable silence.

"Will she be alright?" the Autobot leader asked of his CMO, voicing the concern on everyone's processors.

"Hmm?

"Oh! Yes . . . Ellie will recover," the spymaster heard the medic reply, "But she should remain close to you . . ."

Soundwave had heard enough to know his femme would remain functional. Forcing himself to be satisfied with that, he gave a silent signal to the remaining Decepticons who immediately began to extricate themselves from their respective groups.

Silently, they fled to the waiting shuttle and quickly found seats as Astrotrain hastily took off as soon as the last Decepticon was on board. Swiftly and gracefully, he gained altitude as the three functional Seekers fell into formation with him.

"What was the status of the femme-ling?" Starscream demanded as he struggled to sit upright on the floor.

Deftly, Knockout and Hook lifted the interim faction leader up and deposited him on a berth that folded out from one of the walls.

The Mercedes watched silently as the Seeker was situated before speaking.

"Status: Critical-but-stable. Prognosis: Fair."

"Fair? Fair!

"You give us the 'clear' signal when there was still a chance she could terminate?" he squawked in outrage, struggling against the medics.

"Considering that her very DNA strands were unraveling and every organ in her body was suffering either lesions or imminent failure," Groundhog defended the decision as he quickly sorted the pilfered supplies, "it was a remarkable recovery; Soundwave was right to call the clear out when he did."

"Yes," Shockwave agreed as he hooked another Energon drip to the young medic and changed out his own, "he was. If we had remained much longer, the Autobots would have captured us, . . . despite the femme-ling's promise or intent."

"And I doubt they'd have treated us quite as well as she did," Cureall agreed, repairing his own hand.

Starscream studied the silent spymaster with his trademark scowl. "Do you, by chance, _happen_ to have the comm frequency of _**any**_ of her Elliebots?"

"Affirmative."

"Then have them keep us updated on her condition, you fool!

"All of us owe our very _sparks_ to the organic. The least we owe her is cooperation and whatever support we can towards her recovery."

"Soundwave: concurs. Request: sent. Response: approved."

"Well . . . good then.

"Will you _**STOP**_?" the Air Commander turned toward Knockout as the flashy medic started pulling off temporary panels. "That fragging _**hurt**_!"

Soundwave watched in stoney silence as the moody Seeker berated the medic. The calculations flew through his processors regarding his temporary leader's attitude about Ellie and came up with one probable answer; the Seeker owed a spark debt to their young savior.

He hid a smile behind his stoic demeanor; he would keep Starscream's secret. After all, it's what he did.


	56. Pre Epilogue

_**A/N:**__ So, this is the end of the __first__ installment of Ellie's adventures. I do have other stories in mind to write . . . other adventures for our brave young heroine. But for now, this is the end of our journey together. Also, this will be the first of 3 updates I'll be posting tonight. See end of chapter for additional author notes._

PRE-EPILOGUE:

The sun bathed the large, open field of winter browned grasses in warming yellow rays, leaving only the shadowed places of the hill untouched. It was from within one of the untouched places that worried red optics stared intently at the deceptively glorious day.

Mike knew that the bright sunshine was a lie; the ground was still frozen, the winds bitterly cold and most of all, his Ellie wasn't back yet.

He ex-vented his frustration as he huddled closer to the small, portable space heater and watched at the entrance. As was typical, he heard the approach before he saw them. After a few moments, he saw Prowl leading a line of vehicles carefully through the anomaly. The microwave felt his spark quickly sink when he didn't see the Prime, Ratchet, Bumblebee _or_ Sunstreaker. If they weren't coming, then something bad must've happened to Ellie. He just **knew** it!

Rushing back to the entrance as fast as his short legs could carry him, he frantically chittered at the mechs in the cavern to get their attention. As soon as he saw Jukes acknowledge him, he rushed back to his post just as Prowl was about to enter.

%"What happened? Where's Ellie and the others? Are they alright? Ellie didn't get hurt did she? She always is doing silly things when she thinks someone is in trouble. Uncle Al didn't get her, did he? Why isn't she with you?"%

"Ellie is with Optimus Prime," Prowl stated patiently, transforming to stand next to the anxious mech-ling to allow the others to go through. "Dr. Carlisle is in custody, so she is no longer in any danger from him. Ratchet decided it would be best for her to accompany them to the capitol base where he had more materials available to repair the injured mechs.

"Overall, the mission was a success," the tactician answered apparently randomly; hoping the nervous young mech wouldn't realize he had _not_ confirmed the femme-ling's health.

%"She's alright though? Right?"%

"Ellie was injured during the mission, but is doing quite well as of the last update I received."

%"Ratchet needed to be near Ellie-medicine to make her better, didn't he?"% the surprisingly astute mech-ling deduced.

"Yes. Just to be on the safe side; he wanted to keep her close to human medical intervention if it should be needed."

%"Ellie's strong! She won't need it,"% Mike insisted as he turned back to his post.

Prowl was thoughtful as he turned toward the lair. He really hoped the youngling was right.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Ellie jerked awake at the sudden change in the sound of Optimus' engine.

"What? Optimus?" she wondered in sleepy confusion.

"It is alright Urielle," his tired sounding voice soothed. "We are nearing the base. We will be arriving within the next few minutes.

"How are you feeling?"

"Tired. I have a headache and think I'm hungry too."

"That is to be expected," he confirmed in obvious relief.

"When we disembark," he continued as he followed Sunstreaker into the hangar, "we will make certain to get you some fuel."

"Who's that?" Ellie asked as she pointed out the tall blonde woman obviously waiting for them.

"That is Sarah Lennox. She is the mate to our long time friend and ally; General Will Lennox."

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

It was a sorry sight that entered the hangar. There wasn't a single vehicle that did not look like it had just made a desperate run through the deepest levels of Hell, and got hit by a hail storm of burning brimstone both coming and going.

The human passengers looked only marginally better as they stumbled from their transports in obvious exhaustion. Gratefully, they allowed the fresh detail to take over the guard duty of the prisoners as most wandered off for a few personal errands before mustering for debriefing.

The tall blonde's eyes scanned the entourage of vehicles until her sight found the lone semi at the end of the line. Before it registered, her feet were carrying her quickly forward; through the glass doors of the office lobby and down the stairs to the floor below. Before Optimus Prime even stopped, Sarah was waiting anxiously for him with an expression of genuine concern on her face.

Looking through the windshield, she could see a shadowy figure she knew was a young girl, not quite a teenager, sitting in the passenger seat. Imagining that much of her countenance would be shrouded by the hood of a sweatshirt, she could almost sense the nervousness and apprehension that bordered on fear in the girl's face. That was when Sarah realized that she had no idea what she was going to say. She decided that only pure honesty could help her in this situation.

"Please… I just want to talk to you for a moment."

"It will be okay Urielle. I am right here and will not allow _any_thing to happen to you," Optimus said seriously in encouragement.

Ellie swallowed hard as she reluctantly opened the door and climbed down from the cab of her guardian's alt. As soon as she was clear, Optimus kept his word to her and transformed to stand beside her. She looked at the woman's long blond, curly hair, blue eyes and matching sweater with tan slacks. She was still trying to get a measure of the woman when she suddenly found herself in the woman's arms. A tight heartfelt and shaking hug was being given to her before she was held back at arms length; tensing instinctively at the unfamiliar show of affection, the child watched the stranger warily.

Sarah held the girl away from herself to look at her. Suddenly, her hands were moving of their own accord as she looked at the girl's face, and left arm while running her hands across them at the same time.

Normal… she looks completely normal! She thought in disbelieving relief. There were tears of gratitude in her blue eyes as she looked up at Optimus Prime.

"Thank you."

Optimus looked down at the wife of General Lennox as she voiced her thanks in a shaky whisper. He knew that she had inadvertently seen the video recordings of Urielle's ordeals, so he could easily understand her concern for the girl, but what he didn't understand was - why she was thanking him?

"Why are you thanking me?"

"For helping her… she deserves someone who cares," Sarah answered firmly before she turned to look back at the confused and terrified girl in front of her.

"Look, I know we haven't met before, but I'm Sarah. Sarah Lennox. I'm told that you are the reason Ironhide is alive. For that I need to thank you, he's a good friend and my daughter loves him a lot, we love him a lot!

"This is my cell phone number. If you need anything… I mean anything… I don't care if it's just someone to talk to, or a good hot home cooked meal… you call me, okay? Just remember one thing, not everyone is like that _monster_ who did those things to you!" she said fervently as she handed the girl a slip of paper with her name and number on it.

"Relax Sarah. She's in good hands now. It ain't just the Autobots who got her back… there's a bunch of us looking out for her," Epps said seriously as he walked over.

"Good! You know my number Epps, and if she needs anything, or you even _think_ she needs something, you call me … I'm dead serious Robert! I can tell just from looking at her, that she hasn't been eating right," Sarah insisted with a glare at the former Air Force sergeant.

"Hey don't get mad yet! I haven't been around her long enough to put some meat on those skinny little bones … but that's what I plan on doing. Me an Mike… he's the 'bot that cooks for her, plan on getting her away from that junk food she's been living on," Epps said, quickly holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Robert… we've known each other for years now. I'm serious about this… if she needs something, you call me. Girl talk, home cooked meal, or just a shopping spree…" here Sarah look at Ellie with a sad frown.

"Speaking of which… she needs some better clothes, a stylist, and maybe a manicure too…" she said thoughtfully before turning back to Epps angrily.

"Is there any aspect of her life that hasn't been neglected?"

"Probably not Sarah. But I can promise you one thing. She doesn't have to hide anymore. Not from her uncle, and not from anyone else either. She can walk in a store with no problems now. Like I said… there's a bunch of us looking out for her," Epps reassured easily.

"Good! You can add me to that list too, and when you tell Hide, 'hello,' for me, you better tell him to watch over this girl like he did with Annabelle."

"He already does." Epps replied with a grin.

Sarah nodded her head before looking back at Ellie and once more tears began to fall from her eyes.

"I don't know if it means anything to you right now… but if you need me for any reason… I mean _anything_, you call me, okay? I'll help you any way I can. You've got some friends that you can count on now."

"That is something she knows Mrs. Lennox. There are even several _Decepticons_ who will also help ensure her well being. You may rest assured that she is now in good hands," Optimus said gently.

Sarah nodded before she pulled the stiffened girl into a hug one more time before standing up with heavy tears running down her face in thick streams. She brushed her hand across the girl's shoulder one more time as if to make sure that she was really there before she turned and began to walk back toward the stairs.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Ellie was stunned. This was someone she didn't know and had never met before. Someone who acted like they had been the one under Uncle Al's control! This strange woman who seemed to be friends with Hidey acted like she actually cared about how she was. It was a strange feeling to have a total stranger act like that. She'd have to talk to Ironhide to find out more about this woman. She watched in confusion as the woman gave her one last look and a light smile before wrapping her arms around her waiting husband.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

To say she was disappointed at the look of total confusion, mistrust and even **fear** on the child's face was an understatement; Sarah was devastated, so she buried her face against Will's strong shoulder. She knew that she'd be calling Epps and Ironhide regularly to check up on Ellie to make sure everything was okay. There was just no way that she was going to let this go, not when it was clear that the girl needed someone willing to take that extra step to make sure she was okay.

"Angel! Oh thank goodness you're alright!" the feminine voice called across the hangar.

Sarah raised her head to watch the young face turn absolutely stark white as she shrank back against Optimus' foot and began to shake uncontrollably. If she had thought the girl had looked frightened before, she just learned the difference between "fear" and "terror."

"No, no, no, no, no," Ellie whimpered desperately as tears began to stream down her face. "No more tests! Please? Please no more?" she sobbed desperately.

The sound of multiple transformations was expected at the girl's obvious distress, but the tell-tale hum of weapons coming online and blades being rapidly extended was not as Sarah looked up in confusion at the new, gold Autobot towering above them.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"Angel! Oh thank goodness you're alright!" Sunstreaker heard the voice Sideswipe helpfully identified as a Dr. Zadak call out.

Suddenly, his scans of the girl indicated an instant spike in her stress levels. He expected her to be upset at the appearance of a former associate of her uncle, but he was not prepared for the femmelet's tears and outright terror.

Before it even registered to him as to why it affected him so, he had already transformed and extended his sword. With a growl, he held his blade mere millimeters from the new threat's throat. Less than a second later, Sideswipe and Bumblebee were flanking him, both with weapons drawn and aimed at the human in front of him who was now looking up at them with an expression that still didn't come close to matching the fear on Ellie's face.

He kept his sensors split between keeping track of Ellie and the threat so he instantly knew when Optimus had her secured. He knew that his Prime would not allow anyone to harm the girl, but was still surprised when he heard an uncharacteristic growl of warning from the Autobot leader.

"Urielle?" the semi's worried voice carried over the child's sobbing pleas for mercy.

"Optimus?" Que addressed calmly as he cautiously approached the hyper-protective mech.

The gold warrior heard the sound of the scientist's data cables plugging in to their Prime's systems before he began to speak.

"I believe she is suffering from a glitch."

"A glitch?" Livewire wondered aloud as he hastily scaled the giant mech's frame. "Humans don't have 'glitches.' They suffer from various acute psychological ailments, but a 'glitch' is not one of them."

"I believe," the BMW informed, ignoring the small medic, "that Dr. Zadak's use of that designation has caused her to suffer the human equivalent of a processor loop."

"Humans call them, 'flashbacks'," Ratchet helpfully supplied as he cautiously approached the protective creator. His medic training readily identifying the behavior, the eons of experience guiding his actions around one.

{"He has formed a Creator Bond with Ellie. Everyone needs to relax and stand down,"} he quickly informed the threatening mechs over a common comm before they could cause any injury.

"You mean like PTSD?" Epps asked in dawning understanding as he cautiously backed closer to the feet of Optimus Prime and lowered his weapon just enough to not be directly threatening.

"Yes. Exactly; 'Post Traumatic Stress Disorder'. It is certainly no wonder why she suffers from it," Ratchet allowed as he took in the quietly crying girl nestled tightly against his leader's chest plates. He was pleased to note that Optimus seemed to be relaxing as he learned what had upset his sparkling.

"It's alright O.P.," Lennox called out to his friend to try and help the mech understand what had happened. "It was just like a bad nightmare, except she was awake. Given what has happened to her, it will happen quite a bit. Only, _her_ nightmares actually happened to her, and just for a second, she was back **there**. Dr. Z's calling her that name was a trigger, both because of the name itself and because she had been there. The best way to fight it, for now, is to keep reminding her she is no longer there.

"Talk to her Optimus. Bring her back to the here and now. Keep reminding her you have her now and she's safe."

Quietly, the giant mechanical being murmured to his girl. Eventually, she settled and, was placed her within his sparkling hold to sleep.

"What did you just do with her?" Sarah demanded in alarm.

"Placed her in my sparkling hold.

"Do not worry, Mrs. Lennox; she is safe and secure there. The only way to get to her now is _literally_ through me."

"I think I've seen enough," an unidentified man in an army uniform stated, walking up behind Will and his family. "Optimus Prime is it?"

At the Prime's nod, he continued. "My name is Colonel Lewis Randall. With your permission; I'd like to act as your attorney in the matter of the legal adoption of the girl . . .Ellie is it?"

"You will?" the Peterbilt wondered in surprise.

"If you'll let me."

"I would be honored."

"Hey Boss-bot!" Epps called up to the towering being. "You're going to need to get her professional help for her PTSD and other issues - and I have just the guy for it."

"Oh?"

"My dad; he's a _world_ renowned child psychiatrist. He's semi-retired now, but he still can be coaxed into a worthwhile case. His name is Doctor Heathcliff Frederick Epps."

"I would greatly appreciate his assistance," Optimus agreed as he relaxed fully.

"Now, if you will excuse me; I must take Urielle for her medical follow-up," he announced as he turned to follow the medic into the med bay. "Colonel Randall? Would you like to discuss my case while we both are tended to?" he invited with a tilt of his head toward the human.

Slowly, the group made their way into the med bay, each one feeling lighter in their sparks and hearts than they had in a very long while.

Sarah watched them go as a soft smile formed on her lips. She had just seen for herself that Epps had been telling the truth: Ellie was in good hands now.

_**A/N2:**__ So, this is part 1 of a 3 part update tonight. Wanted to make sure you were aware that Dr. Heathcliff Frederick Epps is a direct reference to Bill Cosby's character of Dr. Heathcliff "Cliff" Huxtable. He's the inspiration behind Epps' father and will be the "actor" to portray Dr. Epps in the sequel._


	57. Epilogue

_**A/N:**__ Part 2 of a 3 part update tonight. I would just like to take this opportunity to deeply and honestly thank my wonderful Beta, Khalthar, and every single one of you readers for allowing yourselves to explore Ellie's universe with me. But don't worry, . . . Ellie will be back! With a whole new adventure to experience._

EPILOGUE:

It was a strange place to preside over, the judge thought to himself. But, he reasoned, this was anything but a normal case. A very large alien robot was petitioning the court to adopt a human girl.

He knew that if it wasn't for his previous knowledge about the transformers, this case would undoubtedly be in the hands of someone far less capable. He glanced at the kitten calendar hanging on the wall beside the desk and had to smile; he'd come a long way from that ambitious teenager he'd been his first day in college.

"All rise!" the bailiff announced as he started his speech.

Leo jumped up behind the makeshift bench and sat down; his gavel echoing through the hangar as he ordered everyone to sit.

"This court is now in session." He said gravely before looking over his notes on the case. Although some might consider this case rather frivolous, he knew that there was actually a life and a person's future at stake, and that was why he was giving this case the serious consideration that it rightly deserved.

"It is the duty of this court to decide the best possible living environment for the minor in question. Being younger than the age of legal consent, the minor, Urielle Lorena Guardian, is not, in this court's opinion, capable of taking care of herself, making her own decisions, or deciding what is in the best interests of her well-being, despite her demonstrated resourcefulness these past six years," here, Leo looked at the girl to see if there would be any protest.

The judge smiled inwardly when he saw that in spite of her youth, the underage girl kept her composure and maintained her respectful silence.

"It is standard protocol for guardianship to be awarded to the minor's next of kin. However, in this case, Miss Guardian's next of kin, her uncle, Dr. Alistair Carlisle, abused his status as her legal guardian to render severe physical and emotional harm on her person. This is a fact that has caused Miss Guardian's uncle to be incarcerated at this time, and he will remain so until well after she has attained the age of legal majority. Therefore, it is the decision of this court that Dr. Alistair Carlisle's status as guardian of the minor, Urielle Lorena Guardian, be immediately and irrevocably terminated."

When the Judge glanced around at those in the improvised courtroom this time, he noticed many nods of acceptance and a universal approval of that decision.

"The other matter before this court, is that at this time, an alien, metallic being known as Optimus Prime has stepped forward and petitioned this court to assume the role of both custodian, and permanent legal guardian of the minor in question. Having examined all of the evidence and after hearing the testimony of several involved and knowledgeable persons and beings in regard to this matter, as well as the testimony of the minor herself, it is the decision of this court that the petition for adoption of the minor, Urielle Lorena Guardian, by the being, Optimus Prime, be granted immediately and all inherited properties be released within the next five days to the petitioner to aid in the upbringing of the minor and heretofore, shall be known as 'Urielle Lorena Guardian-Prime.' Further, it is required by this court that a new and much more appropriate residence be found to continue to raise the minor within the next sixty days.

"Additionally, this court recognizes that this is a unique situation; the previous custodian of the minor blatantly abused his authority to cause gross physical, mental and emotional distress, and the new custodian is _literally_ not from this world. For that reason, it is further ordered that a competent mental health professional be tasked to work with and monitor the mental and emotional well-being of the minor and her new guardian and help them establish a somewhat normal relationship. This professional will send reports to this court monthly for the next five years, and will be chosen, initially, by the petitioner, pending the approval of this court.

"This court stands adjourned," Leo said as he banged his gavel in conclusion.

With that, he got up from his makeshift bench and returned to the office he was using as his chambers. Stopping to glance back at the girl as she ran back to her new father and jumped into his arms, he smiled and slipped inside the door.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

It was over. It was really over. He was actually hers and no one could _eve_r take him away from her.

Ellie ran down the aisle to where Optimus and the rest of the Autobots stood behind the chairs. He crouched down to kneel on one knee and lowered his hand toward her when he saw her running. With a leap that surprised him, she jumped up to his neck and telescoped her arm to surround him in a hug filled with emotion.

"You're mine and I'm yours now. Right?" Ellie asked him excitedly.

"Yes Urielle. Yes. You are mine and I am yours."

"Can I call you 'Dad' now?"

The request surprised him. For the first time he could remember, he found himself physically incapable of speaking. The only other thing that surprised him more was the sensation of liquid in his optics.

When he didn't answer, Ellie leaned back to look him in the face, concern and uncertainty filling her eyes.

"Yes Urielle. You may call me 'Dad' now," he answered, his voice decidedly choked up. "I would be honored."

Ellie smiled and hugged him even tighter with heartfelt joy.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

"The dogs sure are gonna love this fresh meat we're bringing them," a uniformed guard told his partner as he drove the prison transport van.

"'Specially since he can't move to protect himself," the guard in the passenger side agreed with a condescending chuckle.

Dr. Alistair Carlisle ignored the conversation between his two guards. He was strapped into the back in the specially outfitted wheelchair accessible ramp. He glared in contempt at his pathetic excuse for a body as the handcuffs rattled against the wheelchair's metal frame with every bump in the road.

How could this have happened? He thought to himself as he forcefully pushed his rage aside. There would be plenty of time for revenge later, he reasoned as he set about reading the material held in his barely functioning hands. It was all of the information about the prison he was being taken to; the warden's name, rules of conduct expected, punishments when they were broken and the like as well as an address for any family or friends to write to him.

He sneered in disgust at the knowledge that no one would be writing to him. Perhaps, he could get a correspondence from a colleague or two? After all, he had every intention of continuing his research once he was settled. Of course, he realized he would not have any hands-on experience available to him, what with the sentence he had been handed, but he would still have his theories. Maybe, he could get a couple of them to actually do the experimentation for him and share the observations? They were, he reasoned, just as much slaves to their science as he was. Any one of them would be more than thrilled at the idea of furthering his research.

The guards continued to laugh and talk about irrelevant things, providing nothing more than a background buzz for his plans.

Yes, whatever those NBE's had done to him, he believed it could have been some sort of electromagnetic device, had rendered his spinal splice useless; but, he reasoned as his scientific mind ran through all of the information he had available, it also pointed out a vital flaw in the design. His next one, and he was determined there would _be_ a next one, would have better shielding against electromagnetic pulses.

Focusing on the new schematics he would need to develop another, better, splice, he did not notice the police car that was now driving alongside his transport van. Brazenly, the silver shield and motto remained motionless right in front of his unfocused gaze, as if the driver where trying to advertise.

"What the _hell_!?" the driver exclaimed as the police car roared past them and swerved right in front of the van's bumper, spinning into a one eighty to face the oncoming vehicle as it swerved dangerously to avoid a collision.

The sounds of metal sliding apart and clicking in place as the car transformed was drowned out by the screams of the occupants in the van and the squealing of its tires. With laser-like precision, a bladed weapon landed on the roof of the van and punctured cleanly, its length slicing through the roof and stopping a mere millimeter from the floor of the vehicle like butter. Two blood red optics stared through the windshield for no more than a moment before it retracted its blade and skated away on wheeled feet, transforming into a Saleen S281 modified Ford Mustang as it roared off.

"What was that?" the guard in the passenger seat asked in stunned disbelief.

"One of those alien things," the driver answered as he stared after their attacker.

"Quick! Check the prisoner," the driver ordered his partner as he snapped out of his shock. "I'll call it in."

"Carlisle?" the guard asked in genuine concern as he turned around to look in the back. "Hey! You alright?"

Silence greeted the guard as sightless eyes stared straight ahead with a shocked expression in their depths. As if in slow motion, the prisoner in the back seemed to relax, the front half of the body slowly crumpled forward as the back seemed to sag back against the chair, revealing the internals of the body as the heart beat once more before it finally stopped. Dr. Alistair Carlisle was dead.

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Sideswipe gunned his engine as he raced through the anomaly and roared into the lair. Giving a jaunty honk to Prowl as he raced past the work room, he answered the expected com with the data burst Optimus had sent him as soon as a verdict had been reached. He closed the channel as soon as he was acknowledged and continued on to his quarters.

The silver Corvette didn't even bother to transform until he was safely behind the door and it was secured. When he heard the confirming click of the locks engaging, he transformed and strode to the upstairs berth rooms. Not bothering to knock, he entered Sunstreaker's room and wheeled his way past the bound golden twin, heading straight for one of the myriad collection of mirrors his brother surrounded himself with. Staring intently at his own image, he reached up with steady digits and calmly peeled off the red lenses that covered his normally blue optics.

"She's safe now," he told his brother seriously as he cycled his optics a few times. "He'll never be a threat to her again."

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

First Aid allowed the data burst Prowl had forwarded to the entire team to remain unopened in his communications queue as he soldered the last piece of plating on Bonecrusher's helm. This particular piece was in a precarious position; much too close to the mech's main sensor array to allow for even a moment of inattention.

Finished with the final weld, the young medic stood back and looked at his patient. As the plating cooled, he studied the finely crafted features. It had taken them months to craft the new head to Bonecrusher's exacting specifications, but then again, First Aid could sympathize with the mech for wanting to have his own, original head back. Having Wheeljack back after his re-integration really helped to speed up the process too, especially when the glitched inventor didn't blow anything up.

Smiling at the memory, he let it go and focused again on his patient. When his thermal scans indicated the weld had cooled to acceptable levels, he brought the mech out of his medical stasis.

Bonecrusher's systems came back online slowly as they worked to integrate the new head back into his neural net. Finally, after what seemed like forever, he onlined his new, blue optics. As his most recent memories opened in his processors, he hurriedly tried to sit up in his excitement.

"Easy, Bonecrusher," First Aid was there immediately, gently pushing him back down onto the berth. "You just had your head replaced. Give yourself a few minutes to totally recalibrate your systems."

Begrudgingly, the former Decepticon complied and anxiously waited for the smaller mech to give him permission to sit up.

"Alright, now, take your time, but try to sit up," he ordered.

Obediently, he sat up and allowed his body to sway slightly as his gyros synced up. After he got the all clear from his systems, he began to look around the lab/med bay for a mirror.

"What are you looking for?" First Aid asked in confusion.

"Meeeeeeee," he tried, only for his vocalizer to sputter and spit static before he could utter the word. He reset his vocal processors and tried again. "Mirrrrrrrorrrrrrrrr," he said.

"Mirrorrrr," he tried again.

"Mirror," he finally was able to get the word out.

"Need . . . mirror," he said slowly as he got the hang of his new systems.

"Oh! Of course. Here," the medic happily complied as he picked up a large mirror that was lying on another berth.

Half eagerly, half in dread, he grabbed the mirror and turned it around so he could see. There, staring back at him was his old face.

"I'm me again!" he said after a few minutes of staring in happy awe at his reflection.

"Is it acceptable?" First Aid asked in some concern.

"Acceptable? _Pit_ no, it's not acceptable. It's _perfect_!"

The young medic smiled in relief. "Glad you think so.

"So, Bonecrusher . . ."

"NO! Don't call me that. Bonecrusher, the Decepticon, is _dead_. I never want to be that mech again," he vehemently denied as he glanced at the younger mech.

"Oh? Alright then, so what do you want to be called?"

"When I entered the gladiator pits, they called me 'Handsome Heavy.' I was just some smart-aft mech-ling who was trying to make an impression, so I let 'em. Now, I realize that being that youngling wasn't such a bad deal."

"And what was _his_ designation?"

"Bulkhead. That's my real designation. Call me Bulkhead," the newly repaired mech insisted with a rueful grin as he gently put the mirror down. "I'm an Elliebot, and I'd like to talk to Optimus Prime about becoming an Autobot."

VVVVVBREAKVVVVV

Dr. Alicia Elgin stood back and looked at the giant metal body lying before her. The dirt and lubricants from the machine's inner workings smudged her coveralls as she crossed her arms and bit her lip in concentration. Well, the thing was together, but it still wasn't coming back online.

"Now why won't you work?" she asked aloud in aggravation.

"He has no spark," said a giant, booming voice from above her.

In surprise, she whirled around and looked up to locate the source of the voice. The violet light of his optics bathed the room in a harsh purple glow. In sudden remembered humility, she threw herself to her stomach, flattening herself in an attempt to make up for her offense of looking at his face.

"Exalted Unicron! My lord, forgive my blasphemy I beseech you."

He didn't answer, instead, with a loud groan of long dormant servos in his shoulder and elbow, he reached into the room and pushed a finger into the empty chest cavity of the shell. Purple arcs of power raced along the skin of the Unmaker to coalesce inside of the inert body. Removing his hand, he returned to his original position and turned off his optics.

"You are forgiven this time, _human_," he stated to the woman.

"Rise and assume your position as my agent," he addressed the newly repaired body of Megatron. "Rise and be known forevermore as Galvatron, High Lord Destroyer."

The purple optics of the new leader of the Decepticons snapped on with an evil sounding hum.

_**A/N2:**__ If you have just read this without reading the preceding chapter, please note that this was a 3 part update and "Pre-Epilogue" was uploaded first. Please go back to the previous chapter and read that one too! _

_As always, please let me know what I can improve. Tracy_


	58. BONUS:Cybertronian to English Dictionary

_**A/N:** Please note that this is part 3 of a 3 part upload tonight. Go back to "Pre-Epilogue" to start where the last update left off. Tracy_

-Cybertron-to-English Dictionary-

aiuf – Cybertronian character (Introduced in Soundwave's Secret)

Armor Ambrosia – Cybertronian high-end, brand name armor wax and conditioning rub. (Introduced in Children of Megatron)

ber – gambling token (Introduced in Children of Megatron)

gyne – (jin - [shine with a 'j' instead of 'sh']) literal translation "spark oath." Life debt. The most sacred expression of gratitude a being of honor can bestow on another. Usually reserved for selfless acts of protection, rescue, bravery, etc. to help one who is unable to help themselves. (Introduced in Children of Megatron)

ech-liolus – mathematical constant representing the ratio of decay and regeneration of Energon (Introduced in Soundwave's Secret)

eichne – Stop (Introduced in Soundwave's Secret)

ki – Cybertronian character (Introduced in Soundwave's Secret)

lee-wht - Cybertronian character (Introduced in Soundwave's Secret)

Plok ul nyom - Proper address, 'a child is present.'

- plok – present, here, in attendance

- ul – Proper singular term – a, an

- nyom – Proper form of 'nyo' – new-spark, sparkling, child(Introduced in Soundwave's Secret)

servo(s) – joints. In many fan written fictions, 'servos' are often used as slang for Cybertronian hands.

tlol - Cybertronian character (Introduced in Soundwave's Secret)

Tshelgin – fragile spark, gentle light, tender soul. A rare, valuable and extremely fragile gem found near and around metallic ore deposits on Cybertron. Approximate hardness of blown glass on earth. The process of mining the ore usually destroys the gems. (Introduced in Soundwave's Secret)

uf - Cybertronian character (Introduced in Soundwave's Secret)

uhsh - Cybertronian character (Introduced in Soundwave's Secret)

'Uhsh-nu' – Noble dialect of Cybertronian. (Introduced in Soundwave's Secret)

viatle - Cybertronian character (Introduced in Soundwave's Secret)

Vohl-yop - Rebuke, 'bad word.'

- Vohl – word

- yop – bad, improper(Introduced in Soundwave's Secret)


End file.
